Slayers Vision
by Mirror and Image
Summary: [Complete] When L-sama created the Mazoku, an offshot separated itself. Now, Xellos, the only remaining Mazoku, must gather the old group. Unfortunately, Zelgadiss is hearing voices, Goury won't fight, and Amelia keeps running. What's Lina to do?
1. It Begins

**Slayers: Vision**   
By Mirror and Image   
**Part One   
It Begins. . .**

* * *

Authors' note: Sorry if Fillia is a little OOC (Out-Of-Character) but we have never seen _Slayers Try_. We're just doing the best we can.

* * *

He grunted once more in pain. Without master, and without all that he was, he cursed the enemy that made him what he now was. Examining his staff, he thanked whoever was watching over him. His staff still had the enchantments he had placed on it centuries ago. Slamming his staff into the ground, he disappeared.

* * *

She examined herself in the mirror. _I still look like the Hammer of Justice!_ she thought proudly. Her servants stood behind her admiring her evolving beauty. Though originally it was growing tight in certain places, her tailor had fixed it beautifully. She always made sure that her traveling clothes fit in case she had to go adventuring again.

She sighed. She missed adventuring very much. All of her friends/allies of justice going around and trouncing the evil Mazoku of the world. It was so much more fun than listening to politics go by within her family. She started to take her outfit off, when a grunt came behind her. Quickly zipping back up her blouse, she whirled around.

"Come, Amelia. I need your help," he said. He reached out and grabbed her hand.

"But who are.." Amelia never finished her question as he slammed his staff on the ground, making them disappear. The servants gaped.

"Someone tell Prince Phil!"

"Are you nuts? Do you know his temper?"

* * *

She walked along the market, with child in one arm and bag of groceries in other. Looking at some chicken, she talked to the merchant.

"That's an unusual looking child there, with that horn on his head," the merchant said, making small talk. "Who's his daddy?"

"Oh, he's not my child," she said, flipping back her golden hair. "He's an orphan of sorts. I'm looking after him, teaching the ways of my clan."

"I understand, ma'am," he said politely.

There was a sudden gasp in the crowd. The gasp quickly spread to screams. She turned around. "You!" she shouted.

"I have no time for pleasantries, my dear," he said calmly, leaning on his staff. "I need your help. Come."

"But what about Val?" she demanded. He grabbed her arm, forcing her to drop her child. "Val!" she called out, but the man slammed his staff to the ground, making them disappear. The chibi child got up and walked over to where she had just been, sucking his thumb.

"Fillia?" he said. The merchant who had just been talking to Fillia finally regained his composure. He went over to the child, who turned to him with large chibi eyes. "Fillia gone."

"Well, I'll tell ya what," the merchant said, stooping down to Val's level. "Let's see, Val is your name?" He nodded. "I'll let ya stay with my family until Fillia comes back, does that sound good to you?" Val nodded. The merchant picked him up. "Come on. Let's go meet my family."

* * *

Tossing back her red hair, she stared down the bandit leader. "You don't really expect to get the better of the beautiful sorceress, Lina Inverse, do you?"

"L-l-l-l-lina Inverse?" Bandit Leader said. "The Dra-Matter? The Enemy Of All Who Live? The Tiny One?"

"FIREBALL!" Now that Bandit Leader was nice and crispy, Lina pulled him up to her face. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN '**TINY ONE**'?"

"Ahhhhhhhhhh," he replied. A blond swordsman sliced another bandit's club.

"I think he's talking about your bust, Lina," he said.

"FIREBALL!" She looked back to Bandit Leader. "You'd better have a lot of treasure to make my day go better! 'Cause if you don't, I'll Dragu Slave you to Sailoon! Do you know how they feel about bandits there?" Bandit Leader promptly fainted. Lina sighed.

"Come on, Gourry," she said to her extra crispy partner. "Let's go find the treasure!"

"But what about that guy with a staff?" he replied.

"They have a sorcerer?" she said turning. _Oh this is going to be good,_ she thought. Coming fully around, she found that no one was there except downed bandits. "Gourry?" Suddenly, the man appeared next to her.

"I need your help," he said, grabbing her arm.

"But the treasure!" He slammed his staff ground, making them disappear.

* * *

He pulled up his sleeve, placing a hand on his forearm. "Recovery." It had been a long day. He had found yet another supposed "cure" only to get blasted through a few stone walls. It was yet _another_ false lead. He was starting to put a whole knew meaning to the words "despair" and "disappointment" as the sun set over the horizon. His sensitive ears picked up motion behind him.

"I need your help, Zelgadiss," the man said, weakly. Zelgadiss recognized that voice. It was slightly different, but it was still the same intonations and pronunciations.

"No chance in hell," he said, diving for his sword. Just as he grabbed it, the man grabbed Zelgadiss, slamming his staff to the ground. When the man let go, Zelgadiss was totally disorientated. Losing his balance, he fell face first into the ground. Within a moment, he was back on his feet, unsheathing his sword.

"I said no, Xellos," he said. He turned to Xellos. To put it nicely, Xellos did not look well. He was breathing heavily, and leaning on his staff. His eyes were still shut, though this time due to the large swelling around his eyes. Blood was dripping down his forehead, and out of his mouth and nose. His clothes were torn, but thanks to the jewel on his cape, they were on the mend, but still very dirty. The jewel in his staff was cracked, and the wood was chipped away. Finally, his staff broke and Xellos fell to the ground.

Zelgadiss blinked as a golden entity rushed by him. Blinking again, he saw Fillia by Xellos' side. Xellos looked up to Fillia and whispered something to her ear. With Zelgadiss' hearing, it wasn't hard to pick up. Xellos whispered, "It was Drrael." Fillia turned white, with her eyes going wide in shock. She turned to Zel.

"Amelia, Lina, Zelgadiss, help me heal him!" Amelia came over, starting a Recovery spell, but Lina stepped up beside Zel.

"But he's a Mazoku. He doesn't need healing," she said. Fillia glared at her.

"Normally, yes, but he's not a Mazoku any more. He's been, rather roughly, changed into a human," she retorted. "Now come here and help us." Zelgadiss looked at Lina and Lina looked at Zelgadiss. Both shrugging, they went over.

"What about me?" Gourry asked.

Fillia looked up to him, the healing energy from her hands never stopping. "Why don't you be a good boy and fix Xellos' staff?"

"Okay."

"Okay, Fillia," Lina said, getting winded from all the energy needed to heal Xellos. "Just what's going on here? Xellos is a Mazoku. He shouldn't need a healing spell."

"I believe a better question would be, who is Drrael?" Zelgadiss added. Suddenly, Fillia's mace found Zel's face. Slamming into a tree he shook the stars from his vision.

"Fillia-san, what was that for?" Amelia demanded. "We need Zelgadiss-san's help to heal Xellos-san!"

"Enough talk, all of you," Fillia shouted. "Just do as your told. Xellos can answer you questions better than I can. And in order for him to do that, we need to heal him, now!" Zelgadiss walked back over.

"The only way we can heal Xellos right now, considering we don't have a healer, is to take turns through the night casting one Recovery at a time. All of this at once is going to be painful for him, once he can feel pain again. That is, of course, only if he really has become human." Fillia's mace was once more in his face.

"Fine," Lina said. "Fillia, you might as well take care of it first. Just don't pour so much into it!" Lina and Amelia leaned back, both taking deep breaths. "Take it slow, or you might kill him. You're a gold dragon, so you can take care of it while we rest and get camp ready."

"Hey guys," Gourry said. "Will this do?" He held up Xellos' staff, which looked like absolutely nothing had happened to it. Everyone (except Fillia, who wasn't paying attention, and Xellos, who couldn't pay attention) facefaulted. "Hey, when's dinner going to be ready?"

* * *

Fillia was still casting Recovery as everyone sat down around the fire and started eating. Unlike the usual battle, this meal was very subdued. Lina took another bite of her fish glancing over to Xellos and Fillia. "Hey Zel," she asked. Zelgadiss looked up from sipping his tea. "What did you mean by 'who is Drrael'?"

"Just before Xellos went into his coma, he whispered something to Fillia," he replied.

"Yeah, I saw that. What did he say?"

"I quote 'It was Drrael.' Fillia went white and Xellos fell unconscious. Have you ever heard of this Drrael character?"

"Gourry, give that back!" Lina grabbed back her last fish, pounding Gourry aside. "Actually, no. I've read just about every book out there on folklore and legend. But I've never heard of Drrael."

"But, what type of enemy of Justice would scare these two allies of Justice?" Amelia asked, as she took over for Fillia who had collapsed in exhaustion.

"Obviously a powerful one," Lina retorted. "So have you been, princess?" Lina tried to change topic. Everyone was getting too serious for her.

"I've become the Champion of Justice when handling politics in my family!" Amelia replied proudly. She would have struck a pose if she wasn't busy with Xellos.

"Huh," Lina said. "I can see you've grown as well," she muttered under her breath looking at a bust size rivaling Naga's.

"What about you Zelgadiss-san?" Amelia asked. Zelgadiss sipped his tea.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Still no luck?" Lina asked. He looked over to her.

"Does it look like it?" Lina threw a rock at him. It nailed his head, but didn't do any good.

"Don't be so pessimistic!"

"Uh, Lina?" Gourry asked. "What's pessimistic?"

* * *

The next morning, Zelgadiss finished the Recovery he was performing. Leaning back, he took several deep breaths. He did not understand why Xellos had come to him for help, or gathered the old group together. Nor did he understand how or why Xellos was turned into a human, though it did explain the slight difference in his voice. The sun started to filter down through the trees and Amelia was starting breakfast.

Sighing, Zelgadiss sat back up and pushed some hair from Xellos' face. Suddenly, his eyes fluttered open. "Why, Zelgadiss," he said weakly. "I never knew you cared."

"FRUITCAKE!" Zel yelled. He was about to pound him, when Fillia's hand stopped him.

"Don't even think about it," she said. "He's still weak, and he _is_ human."

"FOOD!" That was Gourry and Lina. Twitching, Zelgadiss sat down by Amelia as she passed out breakfast. Gourry and Lina fought over breakfast again, so Zelgadiss just quietly took his share and kept an eye on Xellos. Something wasn't right. He just couldn't put his finger on it. Xellos was quietly talking with Fillia, which Zel couldn't hear over Lina and Gourry. Suddenly, Zelgadiss read the warning signals, and in two quick strides was behind Fillia as she shouted.

"NAMAGOMI!"

She pulled out her mace and Zel grabbed her arm. " 'Don't even think about it'," he repeated. " 'He's still weak, and he _is_ human'." She whirled at him, ripping her arm loose.

"Don't you dare use my words against me!"

"Guys! Look out!" Lina suddenly shouted. Turning, Zel and Fillia found themselves staring at a horde of Lesser Demons.

"Damn," Zel muttered, pulling out his sword. Fillia dove back to Xellos, raising a shield.

"Take the fight to the air!" Lina ordered. "Keep them away from Fillia and Xellos!" Zelgadiss casted Levitation, following Amelia. Once in the sky, they started slicing and dicing the demons. The only problem was the sheer number of them. Zelgadiss glanced down to Lina. She was doing quite well, but she didn't see a demon getting ready to blast her.

* * *

"Blast Ash!" Lina shouted. She wanted to just Dragu Slave them away, but Amelia, Gourry, and Xellos would never escape the blast area in time. Instead, she had to settle for other spells, which were starting to wear her down considering the massive numbers of demons around.

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted as a rock came down hard onto her head. Loosing her balance, she fell a few feet before recasting Levitation. Looking up to where she was she saw Zel (which explained the rock) getting ready to cast a shield. He didn't get a chance as a Lesser Demon that was on the ground sent a bolt of energy so fast that Zel didn't have enough time. Zelgadiss took the hit right in his stomach and went crashing into a nearby tree.

"Zel!" Lina gasped.

"Zelgadiss-san!" Amelia shouted, racing to her fallen comrade. Lina quickly pulverized the offensive demon and joined up with Amelia.

"Hey, Zel!" she shouted. "Are you okay?" Amelia landed and ran to him. Leaning on his sword, he pushed Amelia away, grunting. He got up slowly, one hand using his sword as a staff, the other over his stomach, casting Recovery. Lina grabbed Amelia. "He'll be fine, come on, Gourry and Fillia have their hands full." Flying off, she glanced back at Zel. Though he stayed on the ground, he went back to turning Lesser Demons into shish kabob.

Going back to the area where Fillia had her shield, Lina and Amelia could see she was getting tired. _Damn_, Lina said to herself. _I told her not to use so much energy on Xellos! Now she doesn't have enough to maintain that shield, and Xellos is still too weak to fight!_ Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Zel race up and help Gourry, who was knee deep in demons. Aside from a few cuts on his cheek, Gourry looked okay.

"Okay, Amelia," Lina said. "Let's plow through some of those demons who are attacking Fillia's shield. That should distract them enough to follow us and leave Fillia alone."

"Yes," Amelia replied. "The Hammer of Justice will shine and destroy these servants of evil!"

"Yeah, yeah, let's go!" Together they plowed through, forcing about half of the demons that had been on Fillia's shield to follow them into the air.

* * *

Gourry continued to slash through as many demons as he could. Though he wouldn't admit it, he was getting very tired. It was just too much. Even though Zel was by his side, slashing as many as possible, there were just too many. His sword suddenly wavered, and a demon hit him, knocking him back.

"Gourry!" Suddenly in his arms, was Lina, who was unconscious, and bleeding. Above her was Zelgadiss, who was slicing through a demon. Seething his sword, Zel looked over.

"Thanks for the help, Zel," Gourry said. "Hey, if you're not to busy, could you heal Lina, so we can finish off these guys?" Zel nodded in agreement. Picking up Lina, he flew away. Gourry looked back at the demons with a new sense of purpose. (Or at least the closest that could happen to someone so dim witted.) His charge had been harmed. He was her bodyguard and he let her down. These demons weren't going to see another day.

* * *

Zelgadiss flew through some bushes and landed in a tree a small ways from the battle. Several demons destroyed the land below him, looking for them. Gourry was right. If they were going to have any chance of defeating such a large number of demons, they were going to need Lina to cast some big spell. He stood on the branch and tried to cast a Recovery, but he couldn't do it without Lina almost falling. Shifting his weight carefully, he sat on the branch, one leg on either side, and held Lina against his chest. He tried again, but she almost fell from his grip again. Shifting once more, he laid her down on the branch, with her legs on either side of his waist. Now that she was finally supported, he casted Recovery. He ignored the sweat streaming down his face. He knew he was exhausted from pouring so much energy into Xellos, but Lina needed to be healed quickly.

"Gourry!" Lina suddenly sat up, going, literally, nose to nose with Zelgadiss. His eyes went wide. She looked down to see the position they were in.

"Fireball!" Zel coughed out some smoke as Lina took off, calling out to Gourry. Sighing, Zel jumped down and ran back to the battlefield, ignoring the fact that his muscles were ordering him to stop and rest. When he finally came back to the clearing, he saw only a few demons were still hanging around. Amelia and Lina were in the air with about a dozen left, and Gourry was taking care of the ones on the ground. Drawing his sword, Zelgadiss went in to help. In a very short time, all the Lesser Demons were gone.

Fillia dropped her shield. Turning slowly, not showing his fatigue, Zel looked to Xellos. "I think it's about time you told us what is going on. Who is Drrael?" Before Xellos could answer, there was a chilling, deep laugh.

"So Xellos, you've stooped so low that you're getting humans to help you. Oh, and a dragon as well? You must have her wrapped around your little finger in order for her to be following you."

"Kotowa," Xellos spat. Quickly regaining his cheerful disposition, he smiled and said, "So, what brings you all the way out here?"

"Oh, this and that," the voice replied. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with."

"And what, pray tell, is wrong with asking humans for help, hmm?" Xellos replied. "As I recall, Lina here killed your master, did she not?"

"So she did. Along with a piece of Shabranigdo. But thanks to my new master, I'm far more powerful than her."

"I don't think so, Kotowa. Gaav wasn't much of a master, and you were never much a Mazoku."

"Oh, really?"

"Really."

"I am afraid I must correct you in your judgment of me. I was a far better spy than you were."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"Did you know that Gaav-sama sent out several people to spy on Hellmaster and the other Mazoku lords?"

"Yes, but they were all destroyed, or follow a new lord now. At least they did before you and Drrael destroyed the remaining lords." Zel and everyone else gasped. Exactly who was powerful enough to take on the Mazoku lords and beat them? As far as Zel knew, only Lina could do that and win, but she usually needed time to recover afterwards. To do so all at once?

"Ah, Xellos, you never knew that Gaav assigned me to spy on someone. Someone very important."

"And who might that be?"

"Why I spied, and learned, from the great Rezo, the Red Priest." Suddenly before them, Kotowa showed himself in a human form. He looked very similar to Gaav, with red hair and an orange jacket. He had dark skin with a scar on his right cheek. His mass of hair was held back by some sort of crown, and his eyes were completely black. "I must say, Rezo was a very learned man. I learned a lot from him. For example." He opened his hand and a staff identical to Rezo's appeared. He slammed it to the ground, letting the ringing echo through the clearing. He started to talk in Rezo's voice. 

_Life born of heart of stone, born of weakest flesh,   
Let the spell release you and return you to your home.   
Become one with my will, and become mine.   
Now dance my loyal puppet, I command you!_

Zelgadiss, who thought he was tired and sore before suddenly screamed out in agony. A force came over him, one that was crawling into his mind the minute the staff started to ring. The force that tickled his mind during the spell now hit him in full force, knocking him down. His screaming continued. All he could hear was the quieting echo of the staff. Suddenly, Kotowa must have slammed the staff down again, because the chang became louder, and his pain intensified ten fold.

* * *

Amelia watched in horror as Zelgadiss-san screamed in agony, convulsing on the ground. She tried to run to him, but she found she was frozen. Looking around, she found that the others were stuck as well.

"I...cannot...I will..not," Zelgadiss-san managed to say.

"You can. And you will," Kotowa said. He slammed Rezo's staff to the ground a third time, and Zelgadiss-san's screams hit a new pitch. Amelia felt tears well up in her eyes.

"Stop it!" she cried, turning to Kotowa. "Ra Tilt!" she shouted. He took the blow head on. "Another servant of evil falls before the light of Justice!" she cried triumphantly.

"NOOOOOOO!" She turned back to Zelgadiss-san. Once more, she tried to run to him, but nothing happened.

"Was that it?" Appearing above the withering Zelgadiss-san was Kotowa, not even scratched. "Now then, back to why I'm here." He snapped his fingers. Zelgadiss-san, still grunting in pain, stood up and exploded in flames.

"Zel!" Lina-san cried out. Suddenly, silence thundered down on them.

"You probably want to see him don't you?" Kotowa asked. Making a quick gesture, he waved the smoke away. As the smoke cleared, a figure could be seen on the ground.

"Zelgadiss?" Fillia-san asked. The smoke finally cleared. With his back to them, was Zelgadiss-san kneeling before Kotowa. Dressed in a black samurai armor, his head bowed low, Zelgadiss-san did not move. A quick gesture from Kotowa's hand, and Zelgadiss-san stood up, turning to them. His face was hard, but his eyes remained closed. In his hand was a helmet. Slowly, with one hand, he pushed back the hair that was in front of his eye. Putting on his helmet, he raised his head. Slowly, his eyes opened, to reveal nothing but red.

"I'll let you ponder on this for a while. It will be so much fun watching you fight a friend next them. Oh well. Ciao for now!" Both Kotowa, and Zelgadiss-san disappeared.

"ZELGADISS-SAN!" Amelia fell in tears.  


Go to Part Two-Another Rezo?


	2. Another Rezo?

**Part Two Another Rezo?**

* * *

Xellos quietly sipped the herbal tea that Fillia had made for him. He could feel strength slowly returning to him. Unfortunately, it was not his strength. It was a human's strength. Xellos once more caused Drrael for turning him into a human. He was useless as a human. He couldn't do anything without his Mazoku abilities. He sipped his tea again. Amelia finally came down. Her eyes were red, seeing how she had been crying all day, but Fillia had been able to convince her she needed to hear the explanation. They came down one by one, ordering their dinner as they came. Xellos knew that once everyone was down, he would have to explain everything. Gourry was the last to come down from his room.

They quietly ate dinner, observing the empty space where Zelgadiss would have sat. Xellos finished off his tea and took a deep breath.

"Okay Xellos," Lina said. "What's going on? Who is Drrael, and that Kotowa creep?"

"I think it best I explain Drrael first. What I am about to tell you has never been told to a human before. Only the children of Shabranigdo and Cepheid know this legend. Fillia-san, please be sure to let me know if I skip over anything. When the Lord of Nightmares created this world, long before the staff was thrust into it, She prepared herself to make the Mazoku. She had just finished making the Ryuzuko, and Shinzuko. As She let out the energy for the Mazoku to be made, a large piece of it broke away, becoming aware of itself. That piece of energy, became Drrael. Drrael, who is far more powerful than all Mazoku combined. At first, the Golden Eye Lord let Drrael live, and do as he wished--" Fillia cut in.

"By doing so, She knew that the Ryuzuku and Shinzuko would have to be altered. By making beings who wished order, and setting them up against those who wish chaos, She can get more chaos than if it was just pure chaos. However, in order for that to happen, She needed to make the Ryuzoku and Shinzuko equal with the Mazoku. It took a long time, but She was able to take away the same things from my people that was taken from the Mazoku."

"Thank you Fillia-san. As I was saying, L-sama let Drrael do as he wished. It soon became apparent that Drrael had only one purpose. He ate people's souls. Any soul he could grab was his dinner. The more souls he ate, human or dragon, the more powerful he became. Finally, Shabranigdo and Cepheid agreed to put aside their differences and fought Drrael together. I am told by those who study it that it was a wonderful battle. Apparently Chaos and Order can work well together." Xellos glanced over to Fillia, who kicked him under the table. Grimacing only slightly, he went back to his story. "When the battle was over, Drreal was defeated. Imprisoned in some sort of dimension. Shabranigdo and Cepheid went back to their war. It wasn't long after that when the great staff was thrust into the world." Taking another deep breath, Xellos continued. "Some time ago, I've forgotten how long, Drrael was able to escape his imprisonment. He started to attack the Mazoku and Ryuzoku. L-sama heard the pleas of Her children for help. She, Herself came down. She imprisoned Drrael once more, telling him that should he return to our world again, She would take care of him Herself." He stopped, but Fillia continued.

"You must be getting old Xellos. This happened one thousand years ago, and though Drrael only attacked Ryuzuko and Mazoku, his presence was felt here in the human world." Xellos raised an eyebrow. "When L-sama came down to deal with Drrael, there was a lot of energy that was expended and used. In the highly energized situation, it was perfect for a piece of Shabranigdo to be reborn. That was how the Koma War started."

Xellos sat back. His memory must be slipping to forget that. Everyone looked at them in silent shock. He once more continued. "Not to long ago, Drrael somehow freed himself again. Once more he decided not to got for the humans first, but he _did_ think it was best not to go straight to both the Mazoku and dragons at once. Considering that he is a Mazoku himself, he went to the remaining lords, Dynast, Beatmaster, and Deep Seal Dolphin. When none of them agreed to work for them, he went to the other Mazoku. Only one said yes. That was Kotowa, but I'll explain him later. With only one follower, he took what he called revenge on the Mazoku. He yelled about how if we didn't exist, then he would not have suffered. I fail to see his logic. With a wave of his hand, all Mazoku were turned into humans. Though I don't know for sure, it was rumored that he did something to the Mazoku lords. But with no more opposition from the Mazoku, Drrael continued to do his soul eating. Somehow, he thinks that if he went after the dragons next, L-sama would come again, and he knows that he doesn't want to face Her again. Controlling the Lesser Demons, trolls, and other nice fellows out there, he has started attacking human villages, one by one. Though I believe he could easily take out an army, he doesn't want to draw any attention to himself. I was in one of the towns he attacked trying to get my wits about me and how to fight him. That was when I learned that I was human, for I tried to fight the demons. I could do nothing. I was beaten pretty badly, as you saw, but I still had the enchantments I placed on my staff and jewels centuries ago. I knew that I would need help, so I went after all of you."

"But what about Kotowa?" Fillia asked. "You seem to know him."

"Yeah, and how is it he got control of Zel?" Lina added. Sipping some water, Xellos took another deep breath.

Ignoring the fact that Amelia was starting to cry again, Xellos started again. "As you may have guessed, Kotowa was originally under Gaav. Once Gaav was killed, his followers more or less split to follow another Lord. But Kotowa, refused, saying that Gaav was so powerful that he would come back some day. Kotowa was always truly pathetic. He barely had the right to be called a Mazoku. However, by agreeing to follow Drrael, his powers were increased. My understanding of it is that any soul who had an unusual death, like Gaav and Phibrizo, could have been eaten by Drreal in his imprisonment. By agreeing to follow Drrael, Kotowa was infused with all of Gaav's power, from before he was melding with a human. Facing Kotowa is like, in many ways, facing a fully powered Gaav."

"But how is it that you know him?" Fillia repeated.

"And why did he take Zelgadiss-san," Amelia sobbed.

"I met Kotowa when Beastmaster Zelas sent me to work temporarily for Phibrizo. As I spied on Gaav, I met him. He only knew me as Xellos, and didn't bother looking up who my employer was. Basically, we both just rubbed wrong. He didn't like my superiority, I didn't like his inferiority." He took another sip of water. "According to what Kotowa said today, he was sent to spy on Rezo. He probably knew everything Rezo knew, including Zelgadiss and his programming. That's my guess as to why he knew a spell to control him. If Rezo was still around, he'd probably control him instead, but his descendant appears to be next best thing." Amelia was suddenly on the table. Xellos immediately sweatdropped.

"SUCH AN EVIL FIEND MUST BE STOPPED!" she yelled, tears flowing from her eyes. "OUR ALLY OF JUSTICE MUST BE RESCUED FROM THE ENEMY'S TERRIBLE CLUTCHES, AND WE MUST HOLD NOTHING BACK AS WE GO TO THE BATTLEFEILD WITH HONOR AND JUSTICE IN OUR HEARTS! WE WILL DEFEAT THIS CREATURE OF EVIL AND SAVE OUR ALLY'S SOUL FROM HIS CONTAMINATING PRESENSE!" Xellos quietly grabbed his staff and slammed it to the ground, going to his room.

* * *

The next morning, Gourry yawned. They had all set out at daybreak, deciding to go to somewhere he couldn't remember the name of in order to find clues about this Kotawo and Drrael. Stretching the kinks in his neck, he put his hand on his sword, just in case something happened. There was some sort of tension in the air, like something actually _was_ going to happen. Suddenly, there was an explosion in front of them. Standing before them was Zelgadiss with his new sword already drawn. Gourry pulled out his own sword.

"Light." Behind him, that Katowo was floating, smiling as Zel's red eyes fell onto them.

The fight began.

Gourry was amazed at how Zel was able to fend off both, himself, Lina, Amelia, and Fillia. If anything, it appeared that Zel was winning. The whole time, Kotowa floated there, making all sorts of two-bit commentary. Gourry raised his sword to parry Zel. Zel changed direction at the last second, going down on one knee and punching Gourry hard. Falling back, he dropped his sword. Zel grabbed it, the light coming back again. As the Sword of Light glowed into existence, Gourry noticed that it was far longer and all around deadlier looking in Zel's hands than in his own, or Lina's. Probably due to the fact that Zel was a sorcerer _and_ a swordsman. Xellos came over.

"I may not be able to fight," he said, putting his hand on Gourry's stomach, "but I can do this. Recovery."

* * *

Lina watched in horror as the Sword of Light responded to Zelgadiss' commands. Kicking away Amelia, and hitting Fillia with the pommel of his original sword, Zel advanced on Lina.

"This should be fun," Kotowa said. "You know, I've never gotten such a delicious meal."

"Quiet in the peanut gallery!" Lina shouted. However, Kotowa had succeeded in distracting her, as Zel kicked her in the stomach. It was very familiar to the time way back when they first met. Zel had fought her to get an orihalcon statue, doing the same thing. Only this time, with Zel's armor, she was hit by metal, and the force of stone. She couldn't tell which was worse.

"Lina-san!" Lina looked up to Zel. He had seethed his own jewel sword and was holding the Sword of Light in his hands above her heart. He looked down at her with those glowing red eyes. Lina stared back. In slow motion, she watched a tear fall as he brought the sword down to her. As the sword came, down, it suddenly shifted as Gourry tackled Zelgadiss.

Caught by surprise, Zel dropped the sword, which Gourry quickly reclaimed. Gourry and Zel were about to go at it when Kotowa shouted, "Stop!" Zelgadiss reheated his sword, turned to Kotowa and bowed. Lina's stomach twisted seeing Zel controlled like that.

"I'm impressed, Xellos," Kotowa said. "It appears that these humans are actually skilled. I must admit," he said dramatically, "that I thought you wouldn't be able to beat Zelgadiss. After all, he was programmed by Rezo. Rezo was brilliant in his programming. Allow me to show you." Switching to Rezo's voice, he continued. "Zelgadiss, Rezo Program: Change-Phase II."

Lina felt her heart wrench as Zelgadiss screamed in agony. The jewels in his armor glowed, his armor somehow changed as Zelgadiss' body did. Loosing his helmet, they watched Zelgadiss transform. The stones on his chin melded into one, as did the ones on his cheek. His hair grew longer, and more stones appeared by his nose, which elongated slightly. From his back came two large rocks that pointed to the sky (think Godzilla).

Everyone stood there in shock as Zel stopped screaming, and started to take deep breaths. Behind Kotowa, Lina watched Fillia sneak up on him. She brought her mace down on his head with all her might. Zelgadiss grunted, like he felt it, and retaliated by jumping over and hitting Fillia as hard as he could. She fell unconscious quickly and headed for a tree. Xellos appeared by her side, taking the brunt of the impact.

_Damn! Two at once. Now what do we do?_ Lina thought. She looked over to Gourry and Amelia. An idea formed in her head. Making eye contact with Gourry, he understood. "Amelia!" Lina shouted. Amelia turned and looked to her. "Go and check on Fillia and Xellos, they'll need a healing spell!" Amelia nodded and went to the broken tree where Fillia and Xellos lay. Lina started throwing spells at Zelgadiss. She knew that lower level spells wouldn't hurt him, and she didn't really want to find out how strong this new "Phase" was by getting hit. So she stuck to long-range attacks.

"That won't do much good, you know," Kotowa said. "Long range only makes your torture last longer." Lina started to understand what he meant as Zel started to counter and throw spells of his own. All of them far more powerful than he had ever thrown before. Lina saw Gourry get into position. It was time.

"Dark Mist!" Using the fog, Lina charged at Zelgadiss, her sword drawn. As she approached, Zel grabbed the sword, like she figured. "Digger Bolt!" The sword became a conductor, knocking Zel aside. The mist finally cleared as Gourry came down behind Kotowa, slicing off his arm. Much to Lina's surprise, however, it was Zelgadiss who cried out in pain. Kotowa turned to Gourry, knocking him aside.

"Was that it?" He reached down and picked up his severed limb. Putting it back on the stump, the muscle and sinews rejoined and made his arm whole once more. Even his clothes seemed to sew back together, like nothing had happened to him. "Nice try," he said mockingly. Once more, he changed to Rezo's voice. "Zelgadiss, Rezo Program: Change-Phase III."

Lina turned to Zel, who started to scream in agony again. The large stones that were on his back suddenly sprung out of his back, producing two gargoyle like wings. His nose elongated and melded with his mouth to form a feral like snout. His ears stretched out, with stones starting to grow within them. His hands no longer had five fingers, but three, and his feet, which no longer had shoes, had only two toes. On each knuckle was stone. Snarling, Zelgadiss turned to Lina.

"Wait," Kotowa commanded. Zel turned and bowed. "Talk to them." Zelgadiss stood straighter and tilted his head slightly. Lina cringed. The only time he had ever tilted his head like that was when he was asking her a question. And yet, here he was, doing it for Kotowa. _DAMN IT! Just what kind of hold does he have on Zel?_ she thought. Kotowa continued.

"Drrael, our master may feed on souls and spirits, but I am still a Mazoku. I need agony, fear, and torture. By speaking you will inflict the greatest torture imaginable on two people in this congregation." Zelgadiss bowed.

"As you command, Master," he replied. Lina was briefly aware of Amelia crying out and then falling into tears, continuing her healing spell. Lina looked on in shock. Any mind control spell she had ever seen or learned usually involved altering the victim's voice in some way. Whether it be deeper, more hoarse, or even overlaying your own voice. But as Zelgadiss talked, it was the same voice that he had always used. No difference whatsoever. If it weren't for those glowing red eyes, Lina would think that Zel was following Kotowa by his own free will. Lina's will hardened.

"Darkness beyond twilight," she started.

"Oh, no you don't!" Zel yelled. "That's enough!" He charged as Lina continued the spell. Just before he reached her, Gourry dove at him, getting ready to fight.

"A Dragu Slave won't work on Zel, you realize," Kotowa stated. "He's almost as strong as a Mazoku Lord right about now." Lina ignored him, continued to chant.

"MAY THE FOOL WHO STANDS BEFORE ME BE DESTROYED BY THE POWER YOU AND I POSSES! DRAGON SLAVE!" Lina finished. She suddenly turned around and aimed the spell at Kotowa.

"What?" he shouted, surprised. "Zel, here!" Lina watched in horror as Zelgadiss tossed Gourry to where Amelia had finished healing Xellos and was starting on Fillia. With Gourry out of the way, Zel opened his great wings and in one flap found himself in front of Kotowa and the rushing Dragu Slave.

"Zel!" Bringing his wings in front of him, Zel dig his toes into the ground. It hit. The energy seemed to stop as it tried to push through Zel's wings. Grunting, Zel flexed his wings until he opened them, splitting the Dragu Slave in half, sending both parts harmlessly away.

"…Very good Zelgadiss!" Kotowa said. Zel turned and bowed. Lina felt the urge to hurl as Kotowa patted Zel on the head like an obedient dog. "Now then, I believe you were in the middle of something?"

"Of course, master," he replied. Turning to Lina, he slowly walked to her. Lina didn't know what to do. The only other spells she had bigger than the Dragu Slave were the Giga Slave and Laugna Blade, neither of which she wanted to use on Zel. There was nothing she could do. Nothing but to stand there and accept her fate.

"You of all people should know," Zel said, walking slowly. Some unseen wind blew, sending his black cape into the air, "that I need nothing in this form. I do not need food. I do not need water nor sleep." He stood before her, looking down with his glowing red eyes. "I need no friends," he put his hand gently on her cheek. "I need no love."

"Today, Zelgadiss." In one smooth motion, his grip on Lina's face hardened and he threw her, by her cheek to were everyone else was. He started chanting.

"Darkness beyond twilight, Crimson beyond blood that flows." Lina looked to him in horror. Time seemed to slow down as he continued. "Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows. I pledge myself to conquer, all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand. Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I poses. Dragu Slave." Lina was surprised he said it all so calmly. Her contemplation of the after life was cut off as her hand was grabbed and Xellos slammed down his staff, making everyone go to safety.

* * *

Kotowa watched as Xellos, with everyone in some sort of contact with him, teleport away. Just as the last images of them disappeared, the Dragu Slave hit, obliterating the tree and surrounding countryside. He turned to Zelgadiss.

"Since when could you cast a Dragu Slave?" he asked. Zel shrugged.

"Magic learning capability is increased." he said shortly.

"I see. So, Xellos. You still have a bag full of tricks. We'll see about that."

* * *

Amelia hugged her knees as she stared into the fire. It had not been a good day. Zelgadiss-san was controlled and attacking them. Xellos-san couldn't do anything to help them. Fillia-san and Gourry-san were hurt, even though they were fine now. Lina-san was just too quiet. It was a silent meal. Now Xellos and Fillia were trying to come up with a plan for taking down Zelgadiss-san without hurting him. All agreed they needed to take out Kotowa, but doing so seemed to hurt Zelgadiss-san. It seemed hopeless. Suddenly, Lina-san stood up, slamming her fist into her other hand.

"I've got it!" Everyone looked at her. "When I was fighting Zel, he seemed regretful, even though he held nothing back!" She turned to Amelia. "Hey Amelia, Zel has a crush on you, doesn't he?" Amelia turned red.

* * *

Everyone walked down the path with their guard up. Xellos had explained that Kotowa always did things that came to be predictable. If he attacked them two days in a row, then he was going to do so again. Lina was on edge. Though everyone agreed with her plan, she couldn't shake the urge that something was going to go wrong. Though she kept up her bright and cheerful demeanor, it was just a façade compared to the doubt and fear she felt inside. She prayed that Xellos was right and that Kotowa would attack them today. She wanted to get this over with and have Zelgadiss back with them.

Right on cue, Kotowa and Zel appeared. Zel was back to his original chimera form, and Lina somehow felt thankful that he no longer had that ugly helmet on. The plan was on. Fillia and Amelia kept the Lesser Demons Kotowa brought along busy while Gourry and Lina fought Zel. All the while, Kotowa floated above them with his own comments. Lina wished he would just shut up.

"You fight so valiantly against your friend. I wonder if it will be worth it?" Kotowa taunted. "After all, he knows damn well what he's doing, and he knows he can't stop himself. He's going to be an emotional wreck if you can break Rezo's spell." He sighed dramatically. "But then, you probably won't be able to break the spell without killing him. What a shame." Lina really wished she could Dragu Slave that guy to Sailoon or farther.

Zel parried another thrust from Gourry while casting a small shield against Lina's spells. Lina saw that it was the perfect opportunity. "AMELIA! NOW!" Amelia replied instantly by planting a great big bear hug on Zelgadiss.

"Zelgadiss-san," she pleaded. "Listen to your heart of justice and return to the righteous path that you followed with us! Let the burning light of your love and purity bring you to your salvation from this monstrous Mazoku, Kotowa! Here me, Zelgadiss-san!"

Zel let out a great big sigh. Grabbing Amelia's cape and lifting her into the air, he looked at her directly into the face with his glowing red eyes. "You know," he said calmly. "I thought Xellos was the fruitcake in our former group. I guess I was wrong. It's you." Lina could almost hear Amelia's heart break as Zelgadiss tossed her aside. _That idiot,_ she thought. _Can't she do anything right?_ Lina decided that if they can't do something right, she better do the something.

* * *

Zelgadiss finished throwing Amelia aside. He was about to go back to fighting Gourry when his senses exploded. Everything that he could see, hear, touch, smell, and taste, was a fiery sorceress who had decided that now, in the middle of battle, was a good time to kiss him.

He could see Lina' face, which was so close to his own. Her red hair was falling gently over her forehead and cheek. Her eyes were closed, but he could see tears starting to form at the edges. A wind blew and Lina's hair flew up, dancing and playing around, hypnotizing his eyes. From the corner of his eyes, he could see her pale arms snaking up and around his neck. Her cape soared in the wind, preventing him from seeing anything else. All he could see was Lina.

He could hear Lina's breathing, soft and gentle like a summer breeze. She lost her balance, sliding down, but she quickly regained it. Zelgadiss' jaw dropped. "Please let this work," Lina whispered as she resumed the kiss. His sensitive ears could hear her heart as it quickened its pace, much like his own. All he could hear was Lina.

He could feel Lina as she tried to keep her balance on her tip toes, which made her just tall enough to kiss him. He couldn't help her much because he was frozen as he was. He couldn't move, but Lina did. He could feel her shifting her light weight from one foot to another. She tried to put some of the weight on her arms, leaning heavily on him. The whole while he could feel her torso moving against his. He could feel her arms around his neck, and her hands in his hair. All he could feel and touch was Lina.

He could smell salt, from Lina's welling tears. He could smell the scent of her hair as the wind whipped it into his face. He could smell Lina' scent. The same scent he would use to find her if she got separated from the group. Her perfume of roses hit his nose like a hammer, as did the smell of what she had to eat that morning. All he could smell was Lina.

He could taste Lina, for the instant his jaw dropped, she took the opportunity to provide his mouth with her tongue. He could taste her sugary lips, and her tongue was licking the insides of his mouth. All he could taste was Lina.

Zelgadiss' senses were overwhelmed. He was on the verge of a mental shutdown, but the voice in his head wouldn't let him. The same voice that had been with him ever since he managed to survive his first phase shift. The same voice of his ancestor: Rezo.

_She's she's she's she's,_ was all Zelgadiss could manage.

_>She's only using you, Rezo replied._

_She's she's shes' she's_

>Only trying to get you back with them. She sees you power. She doesn't care about you, but she needs you as an ally.

She's she's she's she's

>Lying. It's a lie. False. Forgery. It's not truth.

But she's she's she's she's

>Selfish. Self-centered. She'll toast bandits to get their money, not because they're bandits.

She's she's she's she's

>She's the one who killed me.

But it feels like she's she's she's she's

>Keep this up, Zelgadiss. Keep this up and you will kill her.And I will finally have revenge on this girl for killing me twice.

I'LL WHAT? Zelgadiss, finally having his mental capabilities in order, fought Rezo's control as hard as he could. From somewhere, he got the extra strength to actually break free from Rezo, if only temporarily. With his newfound control, he pushed Lina away as hard as he could. In doing so, he understood why he was going to kill her. When his mental processes almost shut down, Rezo started an energy build up that would kill, not only her, but everyone else in the area. He had to get away, but Rezo was exerting his control once more.

_>I will have my revenge. Both on that girl, and on the person who wished to enslave us. Kotowa, prepare to meet your end. Zelgadiss screamed in agony. __>Zelgadiss. Rezo Program: Change-Phase X.He could feel his back stretch and contort in ways it was never meant to as his wings came back, larger than before. He winced as his face elongated and went completely feral in appearance, with his ears long and extra sensitive. His hair grew to a new length, and his hands once more had only three fingers. A new wave of pain came over him as he could feel a long tail come out behind him. His arms and legs altered as he plopped down on all fours, finding it much easer than standing upright. The pain finally ended with Rezo in control and Zelgadiss more monstrous than ever before._

"Gee," he could hear Gourry say. "Zel seems to scream in agony a lot, doesn't he?" He inwardly chuckled as he heard Lina bop him. Rezo turned him toward Kotowa.

">I am no longer your slave, Mazoku,You can no longer control me, nor my descendant. You will pay!

* * *

Xellos watched amazed as Zelgadiss went to another phase more animal like in appearance. He had been worried that the energy build up going on was going to be released, killing everyone, but with Rezo in control, it would appear that they had nothing to worry about. Xellos just wondered what Rezo was doing here. He doubted that, with Drrael eating every soul he could find, Rezo would be able to possess anyone, but there he was, possessing Zelgadiss. _Very strange._

Zel/Rezo turned to Kotowa and attacked. Xellos felt a smile grace his lips as he saw the shock on Kotowa's face. Zel/Rezo proceeded to rip him apart. Kotowa teleported a short distance away, looking about the same as Xellos did when he gathered to old group together. The only difference being he didn't look like he was feeling pain.

"Not bad, Rezo," Kotowa said. "Making Zel feel the pain, and not yourself. But I will find some way to control you again. Such power must be for Drrael-sama and Drrael-sama alone." With that said, he disappeared. Zel/Rezo yelled in anger. _Actually, howl sounds more appropriate_. Turning toward the rest of them, he started to advance. Xellos studied Zel's movements. There seemed to be some sort of battle going on inside Zel's mind for who was in control.

">You,You killed me twice.

"Ahhhh," Lina said. "Look, about that, um, er, hey! You were the one who resurrected Shabranigdo and Zanaffar. Don't blame me if I had to stop you in order to save the world!"

">You will die,

"I will _not_ let you harm her!" Zelgadiss said.

">You cannot stop me! She killed me twice, and she will pay!

"I will _not_ let you win this battle!" Zelgadiss screamed. Power dripping from every part of his body, he tried to turn and get away from everyone. Xellos went through a mental list of all the enchantments he had.

Zelgadiss staggered, screaming, and Xellos saw his chance. Running up to him, he placed the jeweled end of his staff into Zel's wide mouth. "Banish!" he commanded. With one final scream, Zel reverted to his normal chimera form in his normal clothes once more. Xellos watched as Zel opened his eyes. They were not red, but the normal blue. Xellos smiled. "Feeling better I take it?" he asked. His answer was Zel closing his eyes and falling unconscious on top of him. He could hear Fillia and the others chuckling. "Why Zelgadiss! I never knew you were so forward!"

Lina walked up, rolling Zel over. "I think we better get him back into town. We're going to need him if we're going to fight Kotowa."

"Allow me," Fillia said, casting a Ray Wing bubble around Zel. "Shall we? There's a town not far from here."   


Go to Part Three-Mixed Emotions


	3. Mixed Emotion

**Part Three Mixed Emotions**

* * *

The following day, Gourry went into Zel's room to resume watch. Lina got up, stretching. "Hey Gourry."

"Hey Lina," he said. "Why don't you use a healing spell on him?" Lina was suddenly on the floor.

"Don't you remember what we told you yesterday?"

"No, what happened yesterday?" Lina sweatdropped and counted to ten.

"Okay, jellyfish, 1.) Physically, Zel is in the best health he's ever been in. 2.) Recovery uses both the caster's energy and the victim's energy. Currently, Zel has almost none. The only other spell that would work is a Resurrection, but no one knows that spell." Lina was about to continue when Gourry cut in.

"Sylphiel knows that Resurrection spell," he said cheerfully. Lina once more ended up on the floor.

* * *

Zelgadiss ran He didn't know where he was, or how he got there, but he ran as fast as he could. Following him was Rezo, Copy Rezo, and the new Program Rezo that had taken residence in his mind. They wanted him to be a chimera. Below them were several chimeric forms that he supposedly could choose from. One looked human, but had long ears along with the blue rocky skin the all had. One had large stones in its back. Another had wings and weird hands. The last was the most monstrous one with wings a snout and a tail. He ran.

Suddenly, his running was forcibly stopped when he ran into Kotowa. Kotowa reached for him. Turning, he ran again, wishing they would leave him alone. Up ahead, he saw a light. He headed for it, only to find that the light was Lina. She kissed him.

_>Zelgadiss, Program Rezo said. __>It's time for you to wake up._

Screaming, Zel snapped his eyes open wide. To one side was Gourry, holding him down by almost sitting on him. To the other side, was Lina, who was red-faced and looking down at his hand that had been grabbing her chest. Turning crimson, Zel brought his hand back.

"I'd Fireball you if you weren't so weak!" she shouted.

Taking a few deep breaths, Zel sat up, leaning against the backboard of his bed. Looking around, he could see that they were in a tiny room, no larger than 6 X 10 feet. Except for the bed and a chair by his side, there was no other furniture. Taking one more breath, Zelgadiss sighed.

"How long have I been out?" he asked.

"Three days. And it looks like you were having one hell of a dream the way you were screaming," Lina answered.

"Gourry," Zel said. "could you please get me a cup of tea?"

"Sure thing! Fillia should be making a batch right now!" He left, closing the door behind him. Zel turned to Lina.

"Lina, we need to talk," he said seriously.

"About what?" she asked cheerfully.

"About the kiss," he said, feeling crimson returning to his cheeks.

Lina looked down. "So you remember that." The door suddenly burst open as Amelia ran in and jumped onto Zel's bed hugging him tightly. He screamed in pain. Amelia pulled away.

"What's wrong Zelgadiss-san? You're not hurt, so why are you in pain?" Zel rubbed his soar shoulders.

"When Rezo and I attacked Kotowa, I was still linked to him. Though Rezo was in control and couldn't feel a damn thing, I felt everything he did to Kotowa. Physically I may be fine, but mentally I'm still reeling." He shuddered. "I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."

"You called?" Xellos said as he came into the room. "Ahh, I see your finally awake."

"Xellos, don't you dare leave me when I'm talking to you!" Fillia said coming in. She started to yell at him. Shortly thereafter, Gourry came in with Zel's tea, striking up a conversation with Amelia.

"Hey guys!" Lina said trying to get their attention. She tried to talk about how they better leave town that day, but with six people in a very small room, it was hard to hear anything. Zel sighed. It looked like he had to do something.

"QUIET!" he shouted as loud as he could. Everyone went silent and looked over to him. "Look, I need rest, we'll leave in the morning, but for now get out of here." Taking his usual harshness in stride, everyone started to leave. Zel grabbed Lina's hand before she got to far. "Not you. You and I were in the middle of a conversation." Lina blushed slightly. "Why did you…you…kiss…" he left it hanging.

Lowering her head, Lina answered. "Um, well when we fought before, I saw your eyes."

"My eyes?"

"Yeah. Even with your stone mask that you put on everyday, your eyes tell all. They were sad that you were fighting us." Lina paused.

"Continue, please."

"Well, I thought that maybe by getting to you through your emotions, we might be able to get you back. It looked like that was the key anyway. So I asked Amelia to try it."

"Why Amelia?"

"Because she's always liked you, and you seemed to like her to." Zel kept his thoughts of the matter to himself. "Well, she didn't do so well, so I tried…."

Both remained silent for a while. Zelgadiss thought that Lina felt guilty because of her feelings for Gourry. Lina thought that Zelgadiss only wanted Amelia to kiss him.

"I'd better go," Lina said. She regained her cheerful demeanor. "See ya tomorrow Zel!"

* * *

Lina and everyone followed Zelgadiss through a forest. Earlier that morning, Zel had told them that while linked to Kotowa, he learned how to feel Drrael's presence. He could guide them in the general direction. They walked in silence, somehow knowing that Kotowa could show up at any minute.

Lina looked around, on edge. Something didn't feel right. Deep down, she felt like something was containing them, caging something inside of her. They came across an open field and continued on. After another hour of walking, they came across a deep ravine. Lina grabbed a rock and dropped it. They never did hear it land. She cast a Levitation spell.

"So everyone," she said happily, "shall we go?"

"You're not going anywhere but down, young lady," someone said. Spinning around, she saw Kotowa floating above them.

"_You _are going down," she said.

"You think that you, a mere human, can do that?"

"I just happen to be a human who can cast any black magic spell there is!"

"Oh, I don't think you're going to do very well if that's all you can do."

"What?" Lina was getting mad. She flew up to him, planning to give him a Dragu Slave at close range.

"Oh, dear, I'm so scared," he said sarcastically. "Wall." Lina felt that caging feeling again. She slowed down, though not by her own will. Her magic was leaving her, but that was the least of her problems. Her head hit something hard, despite the fact that nothing was there. Without any magic, she couldn't do anything but fall. Looking down, she realized that she was above the ravine.

"Oh, hell."

* * *

"Lina!" Gourry and Zel yelled. Zel suddenly understood the contained feeling he was having. They were in some sort of magic nullification zone that Kotowa had set up. Complete with a wall all around it. As long as they were inside, magic was not an option. All these thoughts were on the back burner, though as Zel was driven forward by instinct. Both he and Gourry were running to the ravine, but when they got there, Gourry stopped. Zel didn't.

Falling, he realized that he couldn't do anything to help Lina. All he was doing was killing himself along with her.

_>You can save yourself, Program Rezo said._

_Go to hell_, Zel retorted. _There has to be some way to save her._ Zel started to sort through his options. Program Rezo, meanwhile made it hard for him to concentrate.

_>Why do you want to save that little runt? She killed_ me_ twice!_ Me!_ Your own ancestor. I was created to protect all of Rezo's interests, including you. This self-sacrifice will do nothing, so why continue?_

Just shut the hell up. You're a program installed by Rezo to control me. I won't have it. I will do as I wish, and if that means saving my…friend, then I will!

>You feel that way about her?Zel mentally blushed. _>Are you sure you feel that way about someone who killed me?_

I don't know what you're talking about.

>Denial. You're in deep. Well, I guess I'll swallow my revenge. We're running out of time. If you hurry you can save her.

How?

>Change Phases.

But, I'm a monster already, how can becoming more hideous save her?

>Because you upper phases have wings. Zel understood. Wings didn't require magic to fly, but didn't he need magic to change phases? What sort of consequences were there if he were to end up stuck in a phase?

_>Do you want answers or to save that little…excuse me. Do you want answers or do you want to save Lina?_

… How do I change? Zelgadiss was suddenly drowned in information about the three phases he had changed into the last few days. Along with these statistics about them, came the knowledge of what to do. He looked at the approaching bottom of the ravine, with Lina not that far ahead of him.

"Zelgadiss," he said. "Rezo program: Change. Phase III." Zel tried very hard not to scream, but his body was stretching in ways it wasn't meant to. As the pain subsided, he realized that he had his wings once more. Some sort of inborn knowledge about flight guided him as he proceeded with a controlled dive to catch Lina. With her finally in his arms, he started the very long flight back to the top of the ravine. What made it harder was that this low in the ravine, there were no air currents to help him. All he could do was flap in a steady rhythm until he could get wind.

Lina stirred in his arms. Zel automatically turned his head.

"Zel? Oh no, Kotowa got you again?" Zelgadiss turned to protest only to find his senses starting to explode again. This time, however, he kept a tighter rein on it, not wanting Program Rezo to take over again.

_>If you feel that way, why don't you oblige her? Rezo said. Zelgadiss didn't reply as he clenched his teeth shut. Program Rezo was trying to put his tongue into Lina's mouth. Zel felt his cheeks turn crimson._

With great effort, he pulled his face away from Lina's.

"That wasn't necessary," he said quietly. "I'm in full control."

"But, then how?" Lina looked him over. Feeling self-conscious, Zelgadiss answered.

"More or less, when Kotowa controlled me, forcing me into these 'phases' I learned how to do it. Seeing how there was a magic barrier around us at the moment, I felt I didn't have much choice."

* * *

Lina let the information sink in. Apparently Zelgadiss would be able to go to these phases whenever he desired. But if his reaction of turning away was any indication, he never wanted to do it again unless it was a last resort. That was a shame considering what Lina saw him do in these phases. If she ever had to go against a piece of Shabranigdo again, Zel would most definitely be useful. She pulled her thoughts to the moment at hand. Looking up, she whistled.

"That's going to be a long climb up," she understated.

"Who said anything about climbing?" Zel replied, his wings still bringing them up steadily.

"Okay then, that's going to be a long flight up!" she retorted. Allowing herself a moment's joy, she snuggled up against Zel's chest. "And if it's going to be so long, I might as well get comfortable." She could almost hear Zel blush. She loved teasing him like this. But his voice betrayed no emotions.

"I have stone skin and wire hair. How can you get comfortable?" She looked up to him.

"Your skin has the _consistency_ of stone. It is _not_ stone. So, just like any other human, you emit body heat. Plus, if you were stone, you wouldn't be able to move, so your skin may be consistent with stone in texture and the like, but you are soft!" she explained, poking his face. Zel's ears perked up.

"They're fighting up top. We'd better hurry." Lina inwardly sighed. Zel could be a real master of changing topics. She just snuggled up to him again, letting the steady beat of his wings relax her for the battle ahead.

* * *

Xellos hated being human. No, he despised being human. As a human, he was no where near as fast or as strong as he was when he was a Mazoku. Currently, there were hordes of Lesser Demons attacking them, and all he could do was use his staff as a club. If only he had his true form, then he'd be able to take all these mindless beasts out in one shot. But no, Drrael had forced him to become human, making him totally inadequate. He couldn't even use any spells either! The only human magic that he could use were spells that normally required magical talismans. He couldn't cast a Blast Bomb when he was a Mazoku, much less now that he was human. Though centuries ago, he had learned healing magic just in case, he never learned anything else, making him utterly useless to the team. It was so aggravating.

Batting another demon, Xellos turned to see that Fillia was about to be clobbered. He took off running and dove on top of her. She turned to him with her face going pink.

"Xellos?"

"Later Fillia-san," he replied smiling. "We still have work to do. If, after all this is over, you want me to continue with this, let me know."

"NAMAGOMI!" she shouted, going crimson. Xellos evaded her mace and batted another demon. Looking around he saw Gourry slicing and dicing any demon that got close to him. Xellos thanked whoever was watching over them for the fact that Gourry's sword was unaffected by this magical barrier. Amelia seemed to be doing well also. She had a microphone out and was preaching about justice.

"Only a heart filled with love and justice and love of justice can prevail against such evil and hideous monsters. Only a heart that is pure can cope with defeating you creatures of darkness and death. Only…" and she continued. All the demons around her were going to sleep. Even having listened to only that small slice of her justice speech, Xellos felt himself tire. Something struck him as wrong. He turned, seeing a rather large Lesser Demon getting ready to hit him. Suddenly, Fillia knocked him aside, taking the strong hit.

"No!" Xellos shouted. He didn't get the chance to take his revenge, however, as a loud roar silenced the crowd. Everyone turned to the ravine to see Zelgadiss, in one of his phases, gently land on the ground, letting a surprised Lina down.

"So you all claim to be demons!" Zel shouted. His face went positively evil. It was times like this Xellos wondered if Zel was more than only 1/3 Mazoku. "Let's see how you fools do against a real demon."

"This should be interesting," Kotowa said from his place on a nearby rock. He looked over the Lesser Demons, pointing to one. "You there, you're the strongest. Fight him." The demon looked nervously at Kotowa and went into the growing circle around Zelgadiss. Xellos praised the gods for this perfect distraction. He looked down at Fillia, gently pushing a few stay strands from her face.

"Excuse me, Fillia-san," he whispered to her unconscious form. "I have to borrow your mace for a while. Gourry is right here if you need anything." Heaving Fillia's mace, Xellos once more cursed this human form. This mace was heavy. He slowly creeped around the demons, all of whose eyes were transfixed on Zelgadiss easily evading every attack made by their champion. Xellos was finally where he wanted to be. He made brief eye contact with Zel. He seemed to understand. Zel turned to the demon.

"Awww, you don't like my wings?" Zel said. The demon nodded. "Do you want me to remove them for you?" It nodded again. Xellos was amazed at how dumb those demons were. "Very well." Xellos looked at Zel in shock. "Phase II!" Zelgadiss was obviously trying not to scream, but it didn't matter. The demon looked at him in shock. "Is this better?" The demon nodded. The fight continued, only instead of Zel merely dodging, he attacked. The demon was done for in no time. To everyone's surprise, Kotowa applauded.

"Very well done, Zelgadiss," he said. "I'm curious. Just how did you get control over Rezo's programming?"

Zelgadiss smiled, winked, brought one finger in the air and said, "Sore wa himitsu desu." Xellos took that as his cue and brought Fillia's mace down as hard as he could, nailing Kotowa.

Xellos knew that Kotowa was not a good Mazoku. Despite his power up from Drrael, he would always be second rate. Kotowa knew nothing on how to control the energy given to him. Xellos counted on that as, once flattened to the ground, the magical barrier shattered without Kotowa's concentration. Xellos dropped Fillia's mace and slammed his staff onto the ground, teleporting. Once by Fillia's side again, he started to cast a Recovery spell on her.

Zelgadiss made short work of the demons. "This round goes to you," Kotowa said. He glared as Xellos. "I see you _still_ have your trickster crap even in a human's body." He looked at Zel. "And you should have stayed with me." And then Kotowa was gone.

Xellos, along with everyone else, looked at Zelgadiss, waiting for an explanation. He reverted to his original chimera form, but was not forthcoming. "So Zelgadiss," Xellos said in his usual cheerful tone. "How exactly did you get into these phases, hmm?"

"When Kotowa controlled me, he showed me how," he replied.

"But _how_ did you do it? Last time, it appeared you had a lot of trouble controlling yourself."

"None of your business," he replied coldly. Turning on his heel, he started walking.

* * *

Zelgadiss was sound asleep, but Program Rezo was feeling mischievous. Now that he knew how his, make that Rezo's, descendant felt about redheads, he wanted to have some fun. Though he knew that Rezo would never approve of this, Program Rezo decided that if the family blood line was to continue, he was going to have to do something about Zel's shyness. Since Program Rezo existed only in Zel's mind, however, it posed some problems as to how to put the two together. He was certain that Lina felt the same way when she did that snuggling back in the ravine, but how to get her to open up was also difficult to do since she didn't even know of his existence. Still, Rezo had programmed him well, and he soon knew what to do.

First and foremost was the fact that Zel was sleeping off the strain of his phase shifts. He needed that rest desperately, so Program Rezo sealed Zelgadiss off into a corner of his mind, leaving him in complete control. He quickly accessed Zel's memory and found that Lina was sleeping in the room adjoins his own. _>Perfect. Very slowly, without Zel's knowledge, Program Rezo implemented the phase shifts. He understood that he could only go with the phases Zel had already be using, or else no matter how slow it went, he would scream in agony. Program Rezo did not want everyone to wake up, just Lina. With Zelgadiss starting to shift, he grunted and groaned. Even going this slowly, it was still going to be painful._

Program Rezo listened intently with Zel's ears. Lina was still sound asleep next door, so he sped up the shifts a notch, making the grunts a little louder. His objective was reached. He heard Lina wake up and get out of bed. Within a few minutes, she was knocking on Zel's door.

"Hey Zel," she said. "Are you okay?"

_>Perfectly fine, Program Rezo replied silently. __>He's sound asleep, deep in his mind. Lina called to him again. With no response other than a grunt, she came in. Program Rezo heard her gasp, and he slowed the phase shifting down a bit._

"Hey, Zelgadiss," Lina said. "Wake up." She walked over to him and Program Rezo slowed the shifting again, starting the reverting process. "Are you in control? Do you know that this is happening?" Program Rezo was tempted to use Zelgadiss' vocal cords, but decided against it. Lina sat down by him, and Rezo brought the reverting process almost to completion. "You're slowing down? Good, then you'll be back to normal." She got up to leave, and Program Rezo cursed, speed up to shifting and allowing Zel to give a loud grunt. Lina turned back to him, walking back. Program Rezo reverted again. "Good, for a second I was worried." She started to leave again, and Program Rezo repeated to process again. After a few times of it, Lina finally caught on to the idea he wanted her to believe. "So you're only normal when I'm around aren't you?" She yawned and lay down next to Zel, hugging him. "I guess I can stay this way a few minutes…" but she fell asleep quickly. Program Rezo mentally grinned. With his plan completed, he settled down, releasing his seal on Zelgadiss, and waited for morning.

* * *

Xellos was worried. When he had woken up this morning, he had gone to sneak up on Lina to get a reaction, like he often did. Granted he wouldn't be able to feed off of her anger this time, old habits die hard. Much to his surprise, however was the fact that Lina wasn't there. Amelia and Fillia had gone out to look for her and Gourry was still asleep. After all, Shabrinigdo could come in blasting and Gourry would still be asleep. That had all happened over an hour ago. No one had disturbed Zelgadiss because the all knew he need rest after all these phase changes. However, it was time that they used Zel's advanced scenes. No sign of Lina had been found, and they needed to bring out the big guns.

Knocking on the door, Xellos said, "Zelgadiss?" No answer came back. "Zelgadiss, Lina is missing." Still no answer. "Zelgadiss I'm coming in, so be gentle." No Fireball blasted the door, so Xellos opened the door. His eyes grew wide. Snuggled under the sheets was Zel, sound asleep, and by his side on the sheets was Lina holding him in an embrace. "Oh my," Xellos said.

Zel's eyes fluttered open and he got up. Yawning, he stretched and saw Xellos. "What are you doing here, Fruitcake?" he demanded. Xellos, by now, had he calm exterior again. Smiling, he pointed to Lina.

"It appears I cam at an inconvenient time," he said cheerfully. "I never knew you had it in you, Zel-kun."

"What are you talking…" Zel looked down. "L-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-lina?" Lina rubbed her eyes.

"Did I fall asleep," she muttered. Sitting up, she saw Xellos, and Zel who was turning red. Lina quickly turned crimson as well as she realized how this must have looked. She nailed Zelgadiss on the head.

"Baka, why did you tell us you couldn't control those phase shifts!" she yelled. Xellos leaned on his staff and listened.

"What are you talking about? What are you doing in my room?"

"You were the one grunting and groaning like an animal last night!"

"When did this happen?"

"You don't know?"

"No I don't!"

"I came in here last night to find you somewhere between phases and in pain!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Show some gratitude! I was trying to help you last night!"

"An interesting form of aide," Xellos commented.

"SHUT UP!" they both said in unison. Silence fell in the room. Xellos kept his half shut eyes on Zelgadiss as he slowly started to blush. Lina seemed to notice as well.

"What's eating you, Zel?" she asked. He said noting and continued to blush.

Xellos was about to make one of his usual remarks when Zel suddenly shouted, "Rezo, shut up!"

_Rezo?_

* * *

Zelgadiss cursed himself for yelling out loud and not in his head. Program Rezo had been making commentary that he'd rather not have heard, and he would not be quiet when Zel told him to, surprise, surprise.

_>This is an interesting situation, Program Rezo said smugly. __>So how do you explain this to them, hmmm? You haven't told them of my existence, so are you going to lie, or sidestep the question?_

Damn you.

>Damn me, and you damn yourself. Like it or not, I am a part of you.

Just back off. Zel sighed. There was no avoiding it now.

"I thought I banished Rezo when he possessed you," Xellos said.

Zelgadiss took a deep breath. "There was nothing to banish. All you did was temporarily put him to sleep. It's a program designed by Rezo to think and act like Rezo. Apparently Rezo had some unique personality quirks that he put into this Program Rezo."

"Amazing," Lina whispered. "I never knew that he even existed."

"Neither did I," Zel replied, looking at his hands. "He was activated when Kotowa made me first change phases. He's convinced that he has to do what Rezo intended. Part of it is to make his bloodline continues. Unfortunately, I'm the only one left in that bloodline."

"Zelgadiss, may I talk to Program Rezo?" Xellos asked.

"He's not the type you want to strike up a conversation with."

"I really think I should talk with him."

_>Let him. I have a few things to say._

No comments to Lina?

>No comments to Lina.

Alright. Out loud, Zel said, "It's your funeral." Zelgadiss let his persona slip into a corner of his mind as Program Rezo took control.

">So, what would you like to know?

"I may not be an expert in chimera's and programming," Xellos started.

">Obviously.

"But what type of program are you? I've never come across one like you."

">Xellos, you mean to tell me, in all your 2000 years of living, you haven't met someone like me?

"And how did you know my true age?"

">I was programmed by Rezo, the Red Priest. Though his first concern was magic, he had a passion for books. When he created me, he gave me all his knowledge, including the ability to speculate. Though books never gave you name, nor age, your methods are still the same and you'll be been mentioned in books that are a couple thousand years old, thus it is only logical to assume your age to be about the same.

"And. What. Is. Your. Purpose?" Xellos asked slowly.

">You know, Xellos, my descendant seems to have wondering eyes. Have you noticed?

_You said no comments to Lina!_

>And I didn't say a thing to her. I was merely conversing with Xellos.

Damn you...

>Damn me,

I know I know. Damn you and I damn myself.

Lina, meanwhile, had a Fireball ready.

">Are you sure? This IS Zelgadiss after all. And I think I better be going now. Sayonara!

"I warned you," Zel said.

"Hmmph," Lina snorted. "I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat and get the others. They should probably know about this."   


Go to Part Four-Isn't Sirus A-maze-ing?


	4. Isn't Sirus AMazeing?

**Part Four Isn't Sirus A-maze-ing?**

* * *

Gourry yawned and stretched as they walked down the road, always keeping his hand near his sword. Earlier that day, while he was fighting Lina for breakfast, Xellos was talking about someone called Rezo who was back. Gourry didn't know what they were talking about, so he didn't listen. The only important part he paid attention to (aside from those deliciously sugary cinnamon buns) was the fact that Kotowa didn't have any Mazoku allies, only Lesser Demons. That made his job easier. The next time Kotowa showed up, all he had to do was slice him and then they were done.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move. Drawing his sword, the others followed suit. They stood in a circle, waiting for Kotowa to show up. Something didn't feel right. Gourry looked up to see Kotowa there, and with a bright ball of light in his hands.

"Try solving this puzzle, trickster priest!" he said, throwing the ball to them.

Rubbing the spots from his eyes, Gourry looked around to see he was surrounded by stone. They were in some sort of passage way. _But the last I saw, we were on a road_. His pondering of their predicament was interrupted.

"Amelia! Fillia! Lina!" Zel shouted. Looking around, Gourry saw that the ladies were missing. He had failed Lina as her bodyguard. Kotowa would pay for this disgrace. As the echoes of Zel's call faded away, he looked around, fingering the walls.

"This way," said Zelgadiss with confidence.

"And how can you be so sure?" Xellos asked.

Pointing to his nose, Zel said, "Because Rezo built me to find things for him. If I can find things for him, then I can find things for myself." He started to lead them through the passageways, which felt like a maze. Gourry got a mental image of him, as a rat, following cheese in a maze with people in white coats watching him.

"So is there any food at the end of this maze?" he asked. Zelgadiss landed on the ground and Xellos sweatdropped.

"No, Gourry," Xellos replied. "There isn't."

"Oh. So, uh, Xellos?" he continued.

"Yes?"

"Why don't you just teleport us away?"

"Because there is an enchantment barrier in this maze. Though we can use magic, the enchantments on my staff won't work."

"But you're a Mazoku. Why do you need your staff to teleport?" Zelgadiss and Xellos sweatdropped. Very large sweatdrops.

"Because I've been turned into a human."

"Oh. Then does this mean you'll have a better chance with Fillia?" Xellos crashed to the floor while Zel led them down another corridor.

"And what do you mean by that?"

"Just that Fillia never liked you as a Mazoku, so if you're not a Mazoku now, you can get along better with her, right?"

"…."

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Let's change topic, shall we?" Zelgadiss turned down another corridor. The walls were starting to look funny.

"So, Gourry, how have things been with Lina since last we met."

"The usual."

"Really? And what exactly is the usual?"

"Her pounding me for taking some food she wasn't eating, her pounding me for helping her with bandits, her pounding me for carrying her when she gets hurt, her pounding me for falling asleep when she's talking to me, her pounding me for falling asleep and landing in her lap, her pounding me for any comments on her bust, her pounding…"

"We get the idea," Xellos interrupted. Xellos' voice grew sly. "So, do you end up in her lap often?"

"Not if I know what's good for me."

"But do you like it there?"

"Nope. I'll get pounded if I do that." Xellos seemed unhappy with all the answers that Gourry was giving.

"So, do you," he started to say, but Zelgadiss cut him off.

"What's wrong, Zeldiasag?"

"Quiet," Zel replied harshly. "I thought I heard something." All three of them went silent. Gourry strained his ears, but heard nothing.

"Lina!" Zel called.

* * *

"FIREBALL!" We all know who that was.

"Lina-san," Fillia said slowly through gritting teeth. "Don't. Do. That." Lina ignored her however as she cast yet another fireball. Fillia dodged it but Amelia wasn't so lucky.

"Lina-saaaaaaaan," Amelia whined. "That hurrrrt! Stop doing that!"

"Okay then," Lina said, grinning evilly. "Why don't YOU try to do something!" Lina grabbed said princess and threw her to the wall. The wall absorbed the impact, much like rubber would, and bounced Amelia back. Of course, the opposite wall did the same thing and soon the justice-loving princess was the latest craze since Wimbledon.

"Li-na-san-I-don't-like-this-it's-dis-com-for-ting-help-me-stop-bou-nceing!"

Lina once again grinned evilly. "You really want out?"

"Yes-Li-na-san!"

"Really really REALLY want out?"

"YES!"

"Okay then. Dill Brando!"

"Oh-no."

After the ash settled and Amelia stopped twitching, the princess jumped up and grabbed Lina by the neck and started shaking.

"WHY DO YOU KEEP HURTING ME LINA-SAN!"

Lina just drove her fist into Amelia's head. "IT'S BECAUSE I'M ROYALLY PISSED AMELIA!"

"WILL BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" That was Fillia. "I thought I heard something."

The two girls quieted down and listened.

"Lina!" The voice was faint, they almost didn't hear it. The three held their breath and listened again.

"Lina!" The voice was a little louder and this time more recognizable.

Lina smiled. "Oh yes! HEY ZEL!" she called. "Where the hell've you been!"

Once all were happily reunited again, (to some people's discomfort. It took forever to pry Amelia off of Zelgadiss arm), Zelgadiss started to guide them through the maze.

"Zelgadiss-san," Amelia asked. "How do you know your way out of here, have you been here before?"

"No, I haven't," he said shortly. "I can smell the difference between stale and fresh air. I'm following fresh air, and I can feel very slight wind currents. It's not that hard to know where you're going when you know what you're looking for, now be quiet! I need to concentrate. This far from the opening, it's not that easy to detect these minute changes. They followed Zelgadiss in silence. They winded through the twisting passages until Lina felt completely lost.

Zelgadiss stopped and took a deep breath. "Ah, fresh air."

"Now now, it's no good if you get out of here that easily!" Kotowa's voice echoed through the halls. "It looks like I need to fix that a little bit. With a bright flash of light, Lina found that she and everyone else were somewhere else in the maze. "Welcome to the middle of the maze. I hope you have fun getting out. Without a guide, that is."

"Fireball!" Lina hurled it at a nearby stone wall. It was destroyed easily. "Now what the hell are we supposed to do!" She turned to Zel who was looking right at her.

"Can you still find your way out this deep in the maze?" she asked.

"What?"

"Can you get us out of here?" she repeated.

"I can't hear you," Zel responded.

"I SAID GET US OUT OF HERE!" she screamed.

"Lina, I don't think I can hear anything anymore," Zel replied. "What I told you about before, on how I found our way out, I can't do it. I can't smell or hear anything, and this deep in the maze, I can't feel any breezes."

"DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!" Lina got ready. "Darkness beyond twilight, Crimson beyond blood that flows," she started. Her five companions went chibi. Despite the one stone wall that Lina had decimated earlier, they were surrounded by rubber that bounced back any spell tossed at it.

Five chibis attacked Lina. Chibi Fillia and Chibi Amelia grabbed Lina's legs to throw her off balance. Chibi Gourry and Chibi Xellos grabbed on to her harms to stop her hand movements. Chibi Zel grabbed Lina's cape, somehow understanding what spell Lina was about to cast. Lina continued to chant the spell, ignoring the five chibis that were on her.

"May the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess. DRAGON," Chibi Zel gave one final tug on Lina's cape, pointing her up to the ceiling. "SLAVE!" With the Dragu Slave harmlessly blasting the stone ceiling, all five chibis breathed a collective sigh of relief and then went back to normal.

"Why the hell did you all try to stop me!" Lina shouted. She ignored their vague responses and casted Levitation, going up and out into the pale blue sky. Once outside, Zel got back his senses.

"Come on. We'd better get out of here before Kotowa realizes what just happened," Fillia said. The flew off.

* * *

He walked up the road until he crested a hill. Looking down, he saw a town of modest size. Praying the girl he sought was in there, he started down the hill. He reached the edge of the town and it happened again. Women came to him in droves and men pulled out axes and swords and anything else good for pain. Sighing, he continued till he came to an inn.

These are the authors speaking. This entire paragraph is devoted to His description. You'll see his importance later on, but right now is a tribute to Yoroiden Samurai Trooper/Ronin Warrior fans. Imagine, if you will, Seiji/Sage's handsome ice blue eyes given to Shin/Cye's adorably cute face, with Ryo's beautiful jet black hair (adding some blond bangs and making it a bit longer). What? you ask. No Touma/Rowan or Shu/Kento? Never fear, for he is dressed in Touma blue and Shu orange with a dash of white for safety. For those of you who have absolutely no clue what we're talking about, see the provided pic.

Walking into the inn, he went to the bar in back. The innkeeper reached for something under the bar, but he raised his hands, looking harmless.

"Excuse me, sir," he said amicably. "I'm looking for a young lady." The inn was suddenly drowned in sound as all the girls and waitresses dived for him. Being fast on his feet, he managed to jump onto the bar, avoiding being crushed.

"I'm the girl you're looking for!" came from five different directions.

"Is your name Lina Inverse, by any chance?" The faces seemed to fall.

"I'm Lina Inverse! Who wants to know?" came a voice over the den. Looking up, he saw a petite young lady with red hair and eyes. She was on her table, her companions looking embarrassed.

"A pleasure to meet you," he said, bowing. "I am Sirus. Sirus DeFlag." He hopped off of the bar and strolled over to her, ignoring the girls clawing at him saying that they were Lina. Sirus just politely pushed them aside, already knowing the description of Lina. When he finally got to the table, the three girls who were there were starry eyed at him and the men where tense, as he expected.

"How do you do," Sirus said cordially. "I apologize Inverse-san, but I must speak with you in private."

"Oh, never mind that for now," Lina said cheerily. "These are my friends." She went to a hooded figure and walked her way around the table, introducing everyone. "This is Zelgadiss, next to him is Amelia, and to her side is Xellos, who is beside Fillia, who is seated by Gourry."

"It is an honor to meet you all," Sirus said bowing. "But Inverse-san, I must speak to you in private."

"Why?" said Gourry bluntly.

"I was instructed years ago by my family to give you something in return for something," Sirus stated.

"And what might you be taking," Xellos said slyly. "Her virginity?" Fillia flattened him.

"Virginity?" Sirus asked. "What's that?" Several faces hit the table.

"Good gods," Fillia said, "he's dumber than Gourry."

"I am sorry, but you are mistaken," Sirus responded. "I graduated top in my class at the University of Sailoon." Jaws hit the floor.

"I'm sorry," Lina said. "But did you say the University of Sailoon? The most prestigious university in the known world? The one that almost nobody but geniuses with sterling records can get into?"

"The same."

"You can not be that smart." Sirus studied this Zelgadiss, mainly out of curiosity for why someone would were a hood and mask indoors. Sirus gasped when he saw what Zelgadiss was.

"Unbelievable!" he exclaimed. "A golem/Mazoku/human mixture! But so intricate." Sirus pulled off Zelgadiss' hood and mask, staring at the pebbles on his face and the long ears. From somewhere, he produce an magnifying glass. "Such craftsmanship. You'd need a progression tank and several extremely rare ingredients. You can't just make a Mazoku from scratch." He looked into Zelgadiss' eyes. "Or maybe you could with some sort of animal base with a troll mixture…" Zelgadiss pushed him away, putting his hood and mask back.

"You proven you point. You're smart but 100 innocent. Now back off!"

"Incredible! The chimera seems to have an Artificial Intelligence!"

"So what do you have to give me?" Lina interrupted with greedy eyes.

"As I said, I must speak to you in private about that."

"Fine, let's go to my room."

"What?" the men shouted as Lina dragged Sirus upstairs. Once in Lina's room, she sat on her bed and waited. Sirus looked around the room, noting that other than provided furniture, she didn't seem to have anything to be unpacked. The room was pretty bare. A hand grabbed him and whirled him around.

"HEY!" Lina yelled. "WHY THE HELL DO WE HAVE TO DO THIS IN PRIVATE AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE ME!"

"Forgive me," Sirus said bowing.

"Done," Lina replied, going starry eyed over him again.

"I have an ancient book for you. However, before I can give it to you, you are supposed to lift a curse from me."

"What curse? I don't see any curse."

"Precisely. It was designed so that even the most accomplished diviners can not see it and assume me either crazy or some pathological liar."

Lina sat back down and looked pensive. "I can see how that would be a problem, but other than that, it can't be that bad a curse, is it?"

"Well," Sirus took a chair by the door. "The problem is that every woman or girl who sees me falls head over heels in love…"

"And that's a problem how?" Lina appeared to be controlling her starry eyes a bit better now that she understood it was part of his curse.

"It is a serious problem," Sirus explained. "If I find someone I love, then how do I know they love me back? Besides that's only half the curse."

"Only half?"

"Yes, the other half is that any man who sees me wants to kill me."

"Ouch."

"Imagine how that's compiled further by a man's wife who gets a sudden interest in me."

"Double ouch. I understand. Now can I have the book now?" Sirus sweatdropped.

"Get rid of the curse and the book is yours."

"Now now now," Lina said. "I can't just lift a curse. I'm going to need compensation for time and services rendered."

"Done, by giving you the book."

"And what good is a book? I've read just about every single one out there."

"I assure you," Sirus said leaning back. "You haven't read this one. There is only one copy and its been in my family for centuries."

"Interesting. How do I know it's not just a fairy tale book."

"Because why would I go through so much trouble to give it to you?"

"I hate it when people make sense." Lina took a long look at Sirus. He started to feel nervous as the minutes ticked by. _Dear gods, please let her be able to help me._ More minutes crawled by when Lina finally sat back.

"I can't help you."

"I understand," Sirus replied quietly. He got up to go.

"But I know someone who can," Lina finished. Sirus took his turn to go starry eyed.

"Really?" He fell to his knees. "You're not just making this up? You really _can_ help me?" Sirus wrapped his arms around her waist and cried. "THANK YOU THANK YOU! ARIGATO ARIGATO!" Sirus, being innocent and not knowing how Lina felt about hands on her was rather surprised to find himself suddenly going through her door and into the wall across the hall. Ignoring what happened, however, he was soon on his knees again. "Please Inverse-san, help me!"

"I oughta Fireball you!" Lina yelled. "And don't call me Inverse-san! Just Lina will do. The only person you call Inverse-san is my sister, and you'll never meet her, got it?"

Sirus bowed. "Thank you Lina. Domo arigato."

"Whatever. Just come with me." Lina dragged Sirus downstairs. Back down in the dinner area, the girls started to hover around him again. Thankfully, Lina _did_ have a reputation, so they didn't get too close. Once back at the table, Lina explained the situation.

"So I can't do anything if I can't see the damn spell. I could end up making it worse," Lina concluded. The men at the table seemed to relax as they understood why they were so angry. "Xellos, Fillia, what about you two?"

"Sorry," Xellos said. "But in my present condition, there isn't much I can do."

Fillia stared at him. "I can't see the spell either. It's almost like I can see it, but my mind goes into a hazy when I try."

"Amelia? You specialize in white magic." Sirus wanted to comment on that, but kept it to himself.

"I'm in the same boat as Fillia-san. Maybe if we go to Daddy, he can do something."

"No can do, Amelia," Zelgadiss said. "If I get off track, I may not be able to pick up his scent again. And right now, we're going the opposite direction of Sailoon."

"You live in Sailoon?" Sirus asked.

"Yes," Amelia replied. "I am Amelia Wil Tesa Sailoon…" Sirus interrupted her.

"The _princess_?" She nodded. Sirus bowed, taking her hand. "Your highness, I am honored to be graced by you company. I shall strive to be worthy of your companionship." Amelia blushed. Brightly as Sirus kissed her hand.

"Anyway," Lina shouted. "I didn't want to do this, but Zel?"

"I don't know white magic."

"But he does."

"No. No way. No how. I refuse to let him in control again."

"Do you want to kill a potential ally just because of some curse that's making you do it?"

"No, I want to kill him because he may be a spy for Kotowa."

"Please Zelgadiss-san," Amelia said, her eyes filling with tears. "Follow your pure heart and help those in need so that they may also continue on the path of righteousness."

"No."

"Please Zelgadiss-san," Fillia said "This book of his may be useful like the Clair Bible was."

"No."

"I don't want to be controlled by a spell, Zelgadiss," Xellos said.

"No."

"Why not?" Gourry said.

"No."

"Yes, Zel, you will do it." Lina said. "Unless you want to face me." Zel sighed.

"Your choice, your consequences." Zel went quiet for a moment.

">So, Lina, you want to become part of my family,

"Rezo, you're here for business."

"Amazing," Sirus said. "Two AIs in one body. Incredible." Rezo sweatdropped.

">What do you wish of me, Lina?

"Can you see the curse on this guy?" Lina said indicating Sirus, who had magnifying glass in hand while he poked at Zel's hair with tweezers. Rezo nodded. "Great! Can you undo it?"

">Of course. It's a simple spell really,

"Wonderful!" Amelia cried out. "Then can you please help Sirus-san?"

">Very well, though you should know that Zelgadiss has some serious reservations about this.Change: Phase…

">Yes I'm going to change phases….do you want him cured or not?……you're being ridiculous……no one will notice us……oh alright. We'll do it your way.

"You can withstand the Sword of Light in your upper phases?" Fillia said in shock.

">Hai. Didn't I tell you or Zel that? No? Well you can calm down Zelgadiss. We're not dead. Let's get this done.

">Yes he's cured….yes I know lots of different types of cures……no I can not cure you……because Rezo never programmed that knowledge into me!

"I warned you," Zel said.

"Now then," Lina said. "How about giving me that book?"

"History of me first." Lina collapsed to the floor but agreed. "I am Sirus DeFlag and my family was named after the great Holy Tree Flagoon. My ancestors settled there shortly after the Swordsman of Light slew the Great Beast Zanaffar. I am from a large family, but I have no brothers or sisters and I grew up according to the traditions of my family that have been handed down since Zanaffar was destroyed. My family was entrusted with two books. When I was 8 years old, my father brought me to a cave in the mountains near Sairaag. It was there that I was supposed to be alone for the next ten years. One of the books I was to study. The other I was to give to a fiery sorceress who could cast a Giga Slave and live." Sirus sat back in his chair. "Though I tried very hard to follow my family's tradition, I often left the cave and went home. I couldn't help it. I was lonely. Anyway, my father threatened to disown me if I didn't follow his wishes. I finally stayed at the cave and took my study seriously. I did everything I was supposed to do. However, on the day of my 18th birthday, I returned to find Sairaag in ruins and my family was killed." He briefly wiped a tear from his eye. "I talked to the few survivors and discovered that a sorceress named Lina Inverse fought some guy in red. The man in red was trying to force her to cast a Giga Slave. I finally knew who I was looking for. However, I could not follow for my grief was too much. When I finally cast it aside but I knew I was not ready to meet you. I went to the University of Sailoon to hone my skills. Only then did I go out to seek you. Lina, I find that it is very easy to discover where you've been, but almost impossible to discover where you are."

Lina flashed a victory sign. "That's because a sorceress of my caliber can't rest until she's filled her purse and her stomach by bashing the bad guys."

"I was in Zoana when I finally pinpointed where you were. It was very sad though."

"What was sad, Sirus-san?" Amelia asked.

"When I got to Zoana, some Mazoku, Kotowa, if I remember correctly had just come through the kingdom. He and his master killed the King and Queen and their newborn child. As I recall, a priestess from Sairaag was also killed there."

"Sylphiel?" Gourry whispered.

"I'm sorry but I don't know her name. If Sylphiel was the priestess who survived Sairaag, then that must be her." Gourry got very quiet.

"Martina-san, and Zangulas-san?" Amelia asked. "They're both…."

"Yes."

"Okay, that does it!" Lina yelled. "The book you're giving me has a spell right? So I'll be able to blast Drrael from here to the Sea of Chaos for what he's done! Now give!"

Sirus ignored her comment. "Now the book I am to give you predates to Koma War by about," Sirus paused, trying to remember what his father had told him. "I think it was 10 thousand years." Everyone in the room fell to the floor.

Lina grabbed Sirus by the collar. "Do you have any idea how _valuable_ that book must be? Any collector would _kill_ for something like that and you've been carrying it around? Something like that needs to be in a vault with an army to guard it!" Sirus wiggled free from her grip.

"I think I've done a fine job of keeping its existence a secret and keeping myself out of harms way."

"How did such a book get into your possession?" Fillia asked.

"As I said, my family has been guarding it since after the defeat of Zanaffar. It was given to my ancestor by a seeress who said it is only to be read by a fiery sorceress who can cast a Giga Slave." Sirus reached under his shirt and pulled out the book. "Lina Inverse, fiery sorceress foretold to my ancestor. This is now yours." He handed it to her. Lina grabbed it from his hand and started to read it.

"WHAT?" Lina grabbed his collar again and pulled him down to face her. "Do you have any idea what's in this book?"

"No," Sirus replied. "I was ordered never to look at it. It is for you eyes only."

"This is a book that details a high level offensive WHITE magic spell!" Lina screamed.

"But Lina-san," Amelia said. "I am an expert at white magic and there are no offensive spells. White magic is for healing and purification."

"No it's not," Sirus responded. "The book I studied from was full of offensive white magic. White magic is the only kind I know."

"But that's impossible!" Zel exclaimed. "The city of Sailoon has been the white magic capital of the world and no one there can do offensive white magic! For centuries, the only white magic in existence was purification and healing!"

"But I cast offensive white magic."

"Then do so now," Xellos said.

"No."

"Why?"

"It'd be improper to do such a thing when there is no danger." Everyone decided to let the subject drop.

"So," Lina said. "What are you going to do now, Sirus?"

"Don't you know?" Sirus asked. "Until you learn and cast that spell, I have to travel with you. If none of you have an understanding of offensive white magic, then I shall have to teach you."

"But Sirus-san," Amelia said. "The righteous path we follow is fraught with dangerous Mazoku and vile villains. We can not allow you to risk you innocent life in our quest. You must have a better mission. Go to Sailoon and see my father, Prince Philionel about," Amelia was cut off.

Sirus knelt before her. "Your Highness," he said. Taking her hand, he kissed it. "I shall be your humble servant and at your disposal on your holy quest. Whatever you need, merely ask." Amelia blushed. Bright red.

"Now I wouldn't call this quest holy," Lina started. Zel put his hand on her shoulder.

"Let it drop. It looks like he's stuck with us. Let's all get some sleep and leave in the morning."   


Go to Part Five-Poor Zel-kun


	5. Poor Zelkun

**Part Five Poor Zel-kun**

* * *

Zelgadiss was very annoyed. Xellos had been making all sorts of comments to him involving Lina and Sirus was walking beside him, poking at him with tweezers and a magnifying glass. They had been traveling for about a week now with no stops in town. They had too much fear that Kotowa would find them if they stayed in a town. After all, their company wasn't exactly normal. Lina was currently complaining about desiring a hot bath. Zel merely ignored her, continuing to lead the way by the faint pull he felt. Shoving Sirus off again, he came to a fork in the road. He concentrated on the consistent pull. He pointed to the left. "It's that way," he said.

"Tough, Zel," Lina replied. "We're going right. There's a hot spring down this way, and I'm not going to miss it."

* * *

Sirus held Zelgadiss' arm in front of him and stared at it. Now that Zel was stripped of his clothes and dragged into the men's pool, Sirus had a good chance of examining him. Gourry was asleep at the other end of the pool and Xellos was swimming around. Sirus poked at one of Zel's dark stone blotches across his skin. It had the consistency of stone, but stone could not grow or move like the blotches did when Zel changed phases. It was absolutely amazing.

"What?" he said, drawing his attention away from Zel for a moment.

"I said, do you know what the old phrase 'in and out' means?" Xellos said smiling.

"Xellos, don't go there," Zel said.

"I just want to know exactly how innocent this young man is. Have you ever done that Zel?"

"I am out of here." Zel took the opportunity and went to the other side of the pool.

"Now then, Sirus?"

"What about 'in and out'?" Sirus replied

"Then do you know about making whoopie?"

"No."

"Making love?"

"Love can't be made. It exists between two people who are destined to be together. Or it is the unconditional love of a parent for a child or between friends."

"I'll just skip over that," Xellos muttered. "If it's alright with you I don't particularly feel philosophical right now, though I think we could get into some interesting conversations later on."

"Sounds fascinating. What do you like to discuss?"

"Human suffering, but that's not what I want to discuss right now."

"Alright, then what?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you?"

"Apparently. I'm just not getting what you want to say," Sirus said.

"Sirus, do you know what sex is?" Xellos asked.

"Sex is a noun that is used as a generalization referring to either the male or female gender." Sirus got the impression Xellos was somehow trying to make fun of him, but he didn't know how a simple question like that was amusing.

"What do you know about the verb sex?" Xellos snickered.

"There is no such thing. Sex is a noun. Not a verb."

"Well," Xellos said, "why don't I introduce you to the verb?"

"What?" Xellos shoved Sirus around and kicked him over into the pool next door. Sirus crashed down into a pail filled with soap, stinging his eyes. Behind him he heard a scream.

"Pervert!" she screamed. Sirus recognized the voice as he pulled his head out of the bucket. Sirus stood up turning to Amelia.

"Your Highness?" he asked. "Is that you?" He took a step towards her, but was unable to see the other bucket in his path. He landed flat on his face.

"Sirus!"

"Your Highness," he said. "I know this is very inconsiderate of me. I pledged myself to work for you but I must ask for your help. I have soap in my eyes and am temporarily blinded. Could I beg upon you to aid me?" There was a certain amount of silence. During this time, Sirus felt something wrapped around his waist and he was soon drenched by water. Now that he could see, Sirus looked over to Amelia, who was garbed in a towel and blushing bright red. Sirus knelt. "Thank you, your Highness. But, why are you in the men's bath? And why are you so red? Is the water to hot?"

"Sirus," Amelia replied. "You're in the women's bath. And no. The water isn't to hot."

"Ah yes," he replied. "That's right. Xellos kicked me over here. Well, if the water isn't too hot for you, I'm off then." He bowed. "May you have a nice bath, your Highness."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the men's bath, Xellos had decided to pick on Zelgadiss.

"Well," he said, picking up his staff and walking over to Zelgadiss. "That's one love lorn lady taken care of. Why don't we go visit the other one, hmm?" Now remember, both men are lacking towels. O-o

"What are you talking about?" Zel demanded. Xellos ignored him and grabbed his arm. "What the hell-" He slammed his staff into the ground teleporting them. Zelgadiss, being disorientated, fell down on something soft. "-are you doing," he finished quietly.

"Xellos?"

"F-f-f-f-fillia-san?" Zel looked up from his spot on the floor to see Fillia, covered only by her tail glaring at Xellos, who did nothing to hide his position. In one fluid motion, Fillia reached behind her to the towels that were there and wrapped one around herself. Once properly covered, Fillia reached behind her and pulled out her mace, getting ready to pound Xellos.

"You pervert!" Fillia yelled, trying very hard to hit a very agile Xellos.

"Go get him, Fillia," Zel muttered.

"FIREBALL!" That originated somewhere below Zel, which was weird considering he landed on something soft. That must have been towels, right? Once Zel was nice and crispy, (and stuck on the ceiling) Zel looked down to see that he didn't land on towels. He had landed on Lina, who was in the same attire as himself. None. Both Lina and Zel stared at each other, getting bright red, for a moment before Lina rolled away and grabbed a towel. Zel, being so heavy, fell to the floor, (no longer feeling crispy, but more like jelly,) and closed his eyes, putting his hands over his face and waited. He could hear Xellos and Fillia still chasing each other around the room. Lina's footsteps were light, but Zel didn't even want to guess what she was doing. He knew he was in for it now. She'd probably Dragu Slave him to Zelphilia, or maybe even Giga Slave him. He was so dead.

Needless to say, he was extremely surprised when he heard Lina walk over to him and felt her small hands wrap a towel around him. He took that as a cue that it was safe to sit up. No sooner had he righted himself when the door opened and everyone stopped in silence. Sirus walked in.

"Why are you all here?" he asked innocently. Upon not receiving any answer, Sirus said, "Ah well, it doesn't matter. I'm going back to the men's bath." He walked across the room to the other door. "By the way, why are you all so upset?" Once everyone facefaulted, Sirus left. Zelgadiss, in the meantime, received an unwelcome visitor in his head.

Lina watched briefly as Fillia and Xellos resumed their game of tag before turning to Zel who was turning bright red. Zel didn't notice, however. He was too busy having an argument with Program Rezo.

_>Why are you interested in someone who is so underdeveloped?_

Leave. Her. Alone.

>Awww, did I hit a nerve?

Back off! You don't know how I feel!

>I'd say you like her. You like her more than you'll even admit to yourself.

So what if I do like her a little? It's my choice, and she's my friend.

>Ah, but I am here to take care of Rezo's interests. Part of those interests is making sure his bloodline continues. And with you in chimeric form, it looks like I'll have to take steps to make sure that Rezo's wish comes to fruition.

"Rezo! Leave me alone!" Zelgadiss shouted at the top of his lungs.

* * *

Lina looked at Zel rather surprised. She hated being caught unaware, and twice in one night! The first time was when Zel suddenly appeared and fell on top of her, and now she was surprised that Rezo had decided it was a good time to make Zel mad. However, Zel didn't seem to realize that he was shouting out loud instead of mentally. Shoving her hate of being surprised away, she silently wished she could hear both sides of the argument.

"I have no privacy with you!…How do I even know my thoughts are my own with you coming in to control me?…And what about the time you controlled my body at night so Lina would come in!….Don't give me that!…You're a program. A set of instructions, so set some sort of deactivation code for yourself with a time limit when you can reactivate!…I want privacy to think what I want!…I am not being silly! Leave me alone!" Fillia and Xellos looked at each other and quietly left the room. Lina started to worry about Zel. He could get angry with a passion if provoked, but this was a little much even for him. "Don't you dare…" Zel was cut off as, it appeared, as Program Rezo took control.

">Now then,I believe this is a conversation best left for private. Unless you want Lina's opinion on what we were arguing about.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Zelgadiss-san. What brings you here?"

"Amelia, that's Rezo in control now!" Lina yelled.

">You know, Zelgadiss,You really should admit your feelings.Yes, the other's heart will break, but why…You are only hurting them both by not telling…Okay, we'll leave now, but you _all_ should know, I'll be in control for the next week. Now sleep Zelgadiss.You don't have a say in the matter, now sleep,SLEEP!There now. If you ladies will excuse me, I need to rest Zel's body before I start testing his real capabilities.

"Now just a minute!" Lina shouted. "If you're in control and testing Zel, how are we supposed to find Drrael! We need to stop him before he consumes the souls of everybody in this world!"

">You needn't worry,I can still feel the pull that guided Zelgadiss. The only difference is that you'll have my cheerful persona to chat with instead of Zel's dull one, and we'll make camp earlier so that I can find out Zelgadiss' potential.

"Give back Zelgadiss-san now!" Amelia cried out. "Or face the Hammer of Justice!"

">Do you love Zelgadiss?Good, then you won't hurt his body. Which basically means you can't hurt me. Toodeloo.And when Zel wakes up, he should have realized that he's going to have to break one of your hearts instead of both.

* * *

Zelgadiss' eyes fluttered open. The firelight hit his eyes and he winced. Both the light, and the wincing made his migraine increase. Considerably. He tried to get up, but found that he was too dizzy to do so very well. His throat burned and he could smell liquor everywhere.

"So how do you feel," Lina said quietly. He looked over to her, her bright hair making his eyes hurt. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath of the cool night air.

"Like my mouth was held open while alcohol was rammed down my throat. Do you have any coffee? Or perhaps tea?"

"Fillia-san just made a batch," Amelia said, bringing over a cup. Zel leaned against a tree and sipped it. "Are you sure you're okay, Zelgadiss-san?"

Zel nodded, though the action didn't help his headache. "Just tired. After all, it took three Sleep spells to put me down, I was so angry at him.

"So, Zelgadiss," said Xellos as he took a seat. "Do you feel any stronger?"

"Stronger? No, why?"

"After all the testing Program Rezo put you through, I'd have thought you'd feel stronger."

"What testing?"

Gourry sat looked up. "Don't you remember asking me to fight you? You were pretty good up until the Sword of Light sliced your stomach." Zel's eyes grew wide in shock and he looked down. There was no tear in his shirt, so he felt his stomach. It felt fine. "You mean you don't remember Sirus casting that healing spell either?" Several sweatdrops sprouted.

"I only did what needed to be done," said Sirus from across the fire. "Her Highness would have been greatly upset if you died, so I did what I thought was best." Eyes rolled (except Amelia). "Rezo wanted me to try to use my magic on him, but I steadfastly refused, just as Lina did." Zel glanced over to Lina.

"Hey! I wasn't about to give you a Dragu Slave, Laugna Blade, or Giga Slave. Sorry, but Rezo can't get me _that_ mad, try as he might."

"Thank you both," Zel said quietly.

"I must say," Xellos interjected, "you should let Rezo out more often. I had a wonderful conversation with him. In fact, I was able to guide him in how to use your Mazoku 1/3."

"What?"

"Though you can't teleport," Xellos explained. "You are able to munch on human emotions if your hungry and there is no food."

"You mean I'm a monster like you?"

"Sorry, Zelgadiss," Xellos smiled. "You're not that lucky. You lack any humor. Besides, it doesn't fill you. You could only do it in probably the most desperate emergencies of famine."

"Stop being so smug, Xellos," Fillia scolded. "Rezo just forced Zelgadiss to drink until he collapsed last night. Now he's been left with the hangover and he doesn't need you to aggravate him."

"Rezo did _what_ to me?"

* * *

The following evening, Gourry was bringing wood back to camp. Though his bright, yet dumb demeanor did not portray it, Gourry was feeling very sad. His thoughts were on Sylphiel. He should have been there to protect her. He should have been there to fight for her. He should have done a lot of things. But instead, he was bound by honor to be Lina's bodyguard. Why did things work out the way they did? Of course, Gourry's mind couldn't exactly process that.

Placing a piece of wood into the fire, Gourry looked down at his sword. _What good is this sword if I can't protect people with it?_ He sighed.

"Gourry?" He looked over to Zel.

"Yeah?"

"May I talk to you in private?"

"Sure." He followed Zel away from their encampment where everyone was sleeping. In the forest, they came across a small clearing. Zelgadiss drew his sword.

"Gourry," he said quietly. "I am very angry right now. I need to release it without hurting anyone. Will you fight me?" Gourry was feeling out of sorts as well. He agreed, pulling out his metal sword. Their swords clashed and they fought for a long time. Gourry couldn't help but notice that Zel was unfocused. Just as the battle was starting to get interesting, Zel came at him lunging with all his might. He left himself wide open. Gourry disarmed him easily.

"What's wrong, Zel?" he asked.

"How did you know?"

"You're not fighting the way you usually do."

"Well," Zel said quietly. "Aside from still having a hangover, I am just angry at the world."

"Why?"

"Xellos keeps poking fun at me; Sirus just pokes; Amelia is Amelia; it's everything. No one will leave me alone when I need to be alone. We're off to fight Kotowa and Drrael with no clear idea how to do it. If Xellos was right, then Nightmare energy may not work on Drrael. I look at the future and all I see is blackness." Gourry felt something strike a chord with him.

"I'm just so sick of it all."

"But you haven't eaten anything bad have you?"

"Look, Gourry, all I do is get you all into trouble. When Kotowa controlled me, I almost killed all of you. I know, I saw even though I could do nothing. Hell that was me doing it! I knew what I was doing and I loved it. What type of monster am I?" Gourry saw a small tear slide down Zel's cheek. "I am not worthy of anyone's trust." Gourry waited a moment, trying to figure out what to say.

"What makes you untrustworthy?"

"I'm a chimera. Just by existing I am untrustworthy."

"But would a monster save Lina?"

"What are you talking about?"

"At the ravine, you dove in to save Lina. Would a monster save Lina?" Zelgadiss was quiet for a long time.

"Arigatoo, Gourry." They got up and went back to the encampment.

* * *

The next day evening, Zelgadiss was enjoying the first meal he was able to stomach since he finally woke up. All he had been able to have since he woke up with a hangover was some tea. But now he could actually have food. His taste buds scolded him for neglecting them. He put his plate down and volunteered for first watch. Amelia objected.

"Zelgadiss-san, Sirus-san can take the first watch. I…I wanted..to talk with you…alone." Zel swallowed. It looked like Rezo's talk of breaking hearts was finally going to come to life.

"Alright, Ameliaaaaaaaaaa," Zel shouted as Amelia grabbed his hand and shot off into the woods. As soon as they stopped in a clearing near a stream, Zel brought up the first meal he was able to keep down.

"Gomenasai, Zelgadiss-san." Amelia sweatdropped.

_>You've made your bed, Zelgadiss. Now lie in it,Program Rezo said._

You_ made the bed, you lie in it._

>You hurt both in silence

But I'll destroy one I hold dear. I may feel for her, but I am friends with her as well. Friendship is something to be valued. I will not loose a friendship if I can avoid it. By being silent, I kept both as friends.

>Interesting rational. But rational nonetheless.

"So, Zelgadiss-san," Amelia said. "According to Program Rezo-san, you love me, but not Lina. How do we break it to her?"

"Amelia," Zel tried to say.

"I think we should be subtle. Lina-san is strong, but we don't want her to be distracted when we defeat Drrael."

"Amelia."

"Lina-san is a good friend to us both, so we should be gentle when we tell her."

"Amelia!"

"What's wrong, Zelgadiss-san?" Zel sighed. She was not making this easy.

"Amelia," he said quietly. "It's not Lina's heart I'm going to break."

"What?" Amelia said. Her voice was shrill and on the verge of tears.

"I have to break your heart, Amelia," Zel reiterated. "Gomenasai. I am truly sorry, but this is how I feel."

"Iya," whispered Amelia. Her large blue eyes wavered and large tears formed at each corner.

A voice cut through Amelia's repressed sobs. A cold harsh voice. "Ameeeeeeeeeeliaaaa. Why did you kill me, Amelia? Ameeeeeeeeeeliaaaa."

"Who's out there!" Zelgadiss yelled. His sword was ready.

"No!" Amelia said. "It can't be! Not again!"

"Ameeeeeeeeeeliaaaa. Why did you kill me, Amelia? Ameeeeeeeeeeliaaaa."

"Noooooo!" Amelia ran in a random direction, screaming.

"Amelia!" Zel called after her. "What's wrong?" He cursed himself. Great. Nice job, Zel.

"You needed worry about her, Zelgadiss."

"Kotowa!"

"Yes," he said, coming out of the shadows. "Don't worry about her Whinyness. Someone's going to take very good care of her." Zel ignored Kotowa and went to follow Amelia. Kotowa suddenly blocked his path. "Now, now. You aren't going anywhere. You are going to obey me again."

"Like hell we will!" two voices shouted. One was Zel's, the other was Program Rezo.   


Go to Part Six-Shadows of the Past


	6. Shadows of the Past

**Part Six Shadows of the Past**

* * *

Amelia ran through the woods with tears streaming down her face. Zelgadiss-san didn't love her. What was she going to do?

"Ameeeeeeeeeeliaaaa."

"Iyaaa!" Amelia cried out. "Not again!" The voice only plagued her in her dreams. Why was is suddenly becoming reality? It happened over ten years ago, so why was it so strong now? Amelia tripped on a root, crashing down into a mud puddle.

"Your Highness!" someone called.

"Leave me alone!" Amelia screamed.

"Ameeeeeeeeeeliaaaa." Why can't the voice leave her be? She was picked up.

"Iya!" she screamed. "Leave me alone!" She tried to wiggle free from her capture's grasp, unable to think clearly enough to cast a spell.

"Amelia!" Wait. She calmed down. That wasn't the voice. That sounded like..

"Lina-san?" she sobbed.

"Where's Zelgadiss?" she pried. "We heard an explosion. How could you leave him alone in battle?" Amelia didn't answer. Looking at Lina-san hurt too much. She lowered her eyes, unable to stop her tears.

"Gomenasai, Lina-san, but.." she broke down into balling. The arms around her, which turned out to be Sirus-san's held her close.

"Go and find him, Lina. I'll look after, her Highness."

"Okay, Sirus." There was a loud explosion. Lina-san and company went in that direction. Sirus-san sat down with Amelia in his arms, crying her eyes out.

"Your Highness," he whispered. "What's wrong? What can I do?"

"I..I..I," Amelia tried to speak. It was too much. Her mind was overloading. She had to focus on one thing. But both hurt so much.

"Ameeeeeeeeeeliaaaa."

"Who's there!" Sirus-san called out, holding his staff protectively in front of Amelia.

"Ameeeeeeeeeeliaaaa." Amelia screamed. Memories of it flooded back to her. She pulled away from Sirus-san and ran blindly into the woods.

"Your Highness!" he called. He ran after her. Amelia was small, though, and very fast. She ignored the branches that cut into her face. She ignored the bushes that tried to trip her. She just tried to run away from it.

"Ameeeeeeeeeeliaaaa."

"Iya!"

"Ameeeeeeeeeeliaaaa."

The ground suddenly inclined and she fell down into a ditch. She tried to get up, but Sirus-san was suddenly there, trying to calm her down. Sirus-san, being innocent, tried to hold onto her. She tried to pull away. What ended up happening was his hands went in unwanted places. One hand went around her waist while the other grabbed her chest.

"Amelia!" the voice said. "It's him!" Amelia screamed again, turning to kick Sirus-san, who suddenly looked very different. One of Sirus-san's hands, in an attempt to hold her went between her legs. Though he didn't understand the significance of this move, Amelia did. She bit him and tried to get her own footing. By doing so, she lost her balance, along with Sirus-san's and they landed down on the ground, with Sirus-san on top of her.

"Amelia!" the voice said again. "It's him!" Amelia looked up. Sirus-san was no longer there, but a man with a bloody knife and a bearded face.

"Iyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

"Your Highness!" the man said. "Who is that voice?"

"Iyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" The man was left with no choice.

"Sleep." Amelia could feel the spell take hold. She tried to stop it, but she didn't have any strength left. She fell into a nightmare.

* * *

It was several days after the fight with Kotowa, but Amelia still refused to come out of her room. Zelgadiss moped around, a look of shame on his face. Lina tried to talk to both him and Amelia to no avail. Gourry was just clueless. Xellos and Fillia were too absorbed about how to defeat Drrael and Kotowa to really portray any serious concern, and Sirus was left concerned for all parties.

So he went up the stairs to Amelia's room in hopes to get her out of her room, or at least to get her to talk. He knocked quietly, but there was, as usual, no response. He opened the door as softly as he could and stepped it. "Your Highness?" he whispered closing the door behind him.

Said Highness was sitting on her bed, clinging to her legs against her chest as she started blankly into space.

"Sirus-san," she whispered blandly.

"Highness," Sirus said slowly. He sat down on the bed in front of her, looking directly into her eyes. "Highness, please. Such sadness and melancholy doesn't suit you. Surely talking about whatever is troubling you will help. Whatever is wrong cannot be so bad as to make you so unlike yourself."

Amelia said something so quietly that Sirus almost didn't hear her.

"They all reject me."

"They? Highness, this is not true. There is not one in our group that rejects you."

"Liar!" Amelia yelled. Without thinking she raised her hand, ready to slap Sirus, but the young man quickly grabbed her wrist.

"I believe you are picking up habits from Lina-san," he said observantly. "I would have thought that causing more pain would be worse for you."

Amelia stared at him, then lowered her hand. "They really do reject me. Gourry-san, Xellos-san, Fillia-san, Li….na-san,…. And…. Zel-" The young princess finally lost her control and wept. She blindly wrapped her arms around Sirus' neck and continued to ball.

Sirus, at somewhat of a lost, merely hugged in return, swaying back and forth slightly in hopes of calming her.

"Your Highness," he said softly in her ear. "If the others hate you then I will come to your defense. I will not reject you."

Amelia cried for a very long time. Sirus wasn't sure how long, and hour at least. When it seemed the last of her tears came out, Sirus let go and Amelia sat up. Her eyes were a little red, and her nose was running. Sirus' shoulder was by now drenched, but it was nothing to him.

"You won't reject me?" Amelia asked hesitantly, the catch still in her voice.

"Of course not," Sirus said proudly. "Your Highness is to special to feel rejected. If I must prove it to you, then I shall. What would you wish me to do?"

Amelia thought about it, different possibilities flashing across her face.

"I have already pledged myself to you. I will talk to Lina, or fight with the AI Zelgadiss if that is what you want. It appears that those two are the ones who are at the root of this tragic sadness in you."

Fresh tears seemed to fill in the princess' eyes, confirming Sirus' suspicions, but the blue-eyed girl took a deep breath and looked directly into Sirus' eyes.

"You won't reject me?" she asked again.

"Never. What can I do?"

"Kiss me," she said flatly.

Sirus cocked his head. "But we are not married."

"What does marriage have to do about it? About anything?"

Sirus shrugged. If it made her Highness feel batter, then fine. He leaned forward and gently kissed her cheek.

"Not like that," the princess said sternly. "Like this." Amelia wrapped her arms around the young man's neck and gave him a very adult kiss. Sirus wasn't even sure if what was happening could even be classified as a kiss. His parents never said anything about all the rather sudden feelings that were associated with a kiss like this, which they had never demonstrated before him.

When they came up for air, both were panting and Sirus was sweating a little.

"Highness," Sirus asked, he voice cracking a little. "Are you sure that was a kiss. My parents never said anything about kisses like _that_. Uh, now what are you doing?" Amelia was taking off her cape and boot slowly, never loosing eye contact with Sirus.

"I'm teaching you about the verb sex," she answered coolly. She wrapped her arms around him again and pushed him back on the bed, repeating the performance of that weird kiss again. Once she finished with his mouth, she move to his ear, whispering some very dirty words before adding, "You promised you wouldn't reject me."

Sirus sat up, totally confused. "Why do you keep asking that?"

Amelia sat up as well, licking her lips again.

"I've already stipulated several times that I wouldn't reject you, so why do you keep asking or stating the fact. What purpose does the repetition serve?"

"I'm having you prove it to me," Amelia said defensively.

"But how can I prove it by lying down on a bed? Or by you saying all those strange and dirty words? I've already proved that I won't reject you. Haven't I?"

Amelia was by now very red for some reason. "But, I-"

"Your Highness," Sirus said softly. "What is this really about? Rejection is a large part of it, but I get the feeling that it has to do with a specific event. Something happened when Kotowa showed up. Am I right?"

"No, it was before." The princess looked down, her eyes renewed with tears. "He said… He said… Oh Sirus!" A new wave of crying ensued, and Sirus knew this had to end soon. He took a chance and pressed the matter.

"Who said what? If it was before Kotowa's attack, then it was the Artificial Intelligence, correct? The chimera Zelgadiss? What did he say?"

"WWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Amelia whaled. "HE DOESN'T LOVE ME!"

It all suddenly came together in an audible thud in Sirus' mind. "You had a crush on an AI? You fell in love with it but it couldn't return the feelings?"

"Y-yes," Amelia whimpered in his shoulder. "Program Rezo said he was leading me and Lina-san on. I really thought it was me. I thought he loved me. And he said he didn't! How could I be so stupid! Why does this have to hurt so much! Why why _why WHY_?"

Sirus waited until the whaling and the crying had died down some before he answered. "You are not stupid. My parents told me that sometimes you love someone and they don't love you back. They said it happens sometimes, and that it just means that it's not meant to be. Your Highness, you heart belongs to only one person. You thought it was the chimera, but that obviously is not true. The person you are meant to love will come in time. All you have to do is wait for him."

"But it hurts so MUCH!"

"Well, think of it this way. How much more would it have hurt if the AI hadn't told you? If he had kept letting you believe that falsehood, how much more emotion would you have wasted? At least now you know. You will grieve for a while, and then you will move on. It will hurt. It has to hurt in order for you to grow. Do you understand what I'm saying? Then, in time, you will find your true husband. And then you can do whatever you want with him."

"_Sirus-san_!" Amelia exclaimed, sitting back and turning bright red.

"What? What did I say? Is something else wrong?"

"N-no. I guess not."

"Very well then. Perhaps you would like to come down to dinner?"

Amelia thought about it. "No, Sirus-san. Not yet."

"Very well then. I will bring it up to you." The young man got up and went to the door.

"Sirus-san?"

"Yes?"

"Arigatoo."

* * *

Zelgadiss still felt very bad for hurting Amelia like that. Though she seemed better now, Zel regretted loosing her as a friend. She refused to talk to him or go near him, which he understood, but he still valued her friendship. Now he had lost it. He tried to push the guilt away, focusing on the small pull that he followed through the forest. Overall, Zel was not in a good mood.

"It's about time you showed up," a voice said in the trees. Everyone looked up to Kotowa who was perched on a branch looking down to them. He jumped down.

"I thought you'd never get here."

"Sorry, Kotowa," Xellos said. "But we're on our own time table. Fortunately, it doesn't coincide with yours."

"But I'm not going to fight you here."

"Like you ever fought us before?" Lina muttered.

"Instead, I come with gifts from my master, Drrael-sama." With a wave of his hand three people appeared at the base of the tree. One was a man who looked almost exactly like Gourry. The only differences lay in the pale blue hair, which was much shorter, and the green eyes. Next the Gourry-look-alike was a woman who looked like Amelia. She was short, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. Next to her was Copy Rezo. "I believe three of you know who you're going to be fighting."

"Iyaaaaa!" Everyone turned to Amelia. "It…it…it can't…nooooo!" She turned to run, but Sirus was there to help her. The woman went over to Amelia. The blue-haired man went to Gourry. Zel didn't pay any attention to this as he went after Copy Rezo. His sword sliced air and Zel lost track of his companions as he continued to go after Copy Rezo.

Zelgadiss had had enough Rezos in his life. He didn't need one of them to come back from the dead. He threw a Fireball at Copy Rezo to throw him off balance. It came to no avail. Copy Rezo was too fast. Suddenly, all he could here was the ringing of Rezo's staff.

_Not again! Program Rezo, can you stop this?_

>I can, but I need time. Try to fight him. I refuse to be Kotowa's slave again.

Well do it!

>Do you want to talk or have it done? Zel mentally quieted down. By now he was once more someone's puppet.

"Zelgadiss," Copy Rezo said. "It's good to have you working for me. I'm surprised that Kotowa told me about all the little treats Rezo put in you. But since I am better than Rezo, I will control you far better than he could." Zel could not say or do anything. "Zelgadiss. Rezo Program: Terminate. Target: Xellos." Zelgadiss got the strong hint that it was Kotowa who ordered that command. The original Copy Rezo, (now there's an oxymoron) would have him go after Lina to force her to cast a Giga Slave. Still, even if Xellos was a pain, he wasn't going to kill him. He used all of his will to fight Copy Rezo.

"You can't resist me, Zelgadiss," said Copy Rezo. "Phase II." Zel's will crumbled as he changed phases. Changing against his will tired him out. His body turned to Xellos.

"Um, gee, Zelgadiss," Xellos said. "Maybe we can work out our differences another way, ne?" Zel slowly walked to him, sword in hand. He raised it. Zel once more tried to force himself to stop, but it was impossible. He brought his sword down. Xellos brought up his staff to counter, but didn't need to. Fillia blocked him with his mace.

Thank you, Fillia, he thought to himself. Unfortunately, it was now clear that in order to get to Xellos, he was going to have to kill Fillia. His day just kept getting worse. He finally knocked Fillia aside. He was about to kill her when he suddenly found himself in the air.

"MEGA BRANDO!" Zel mentally praised Lina. When he landed, he heard Copy Rezo's voice again.

"If you're going to be that way about it, Lina Inverse, then how about this? Target Change: Lina." Zelgadiss started to advance.

_Haven't you fixed it yet?_

>Done.

Then why am I still advancing?

>Because I can't initiate it until you're in Phase X.

WHAT!

>Quiet and listen. Copy Rezo controls you in Phase II. Kotowa will block you from Phase III, knowing that you prefer it. If you go into any of the other phases, which you haven't been in before, I can't control the outcome. It has to be Phase X. I'm sorry but you'll be stuck in that phase until you can kill Copy Rezo again.

Zelgadiss mentally grunted, but called up the program to change phases. It was painful. But once he opened his eyes, he was free.

_>One more thing. I can't override the defense Rezo put in from killing him. Copy Rezo looks like Rezo, so you can't kill him, but I've removed all blocks from hurting him. Zel mentally smiled. He glared at Copy Rezo and followed the animalistic instincts that came with this phase. He pounced onto Copy Rezo, catching him by surprise._

"WHERE'S MY CURE?" Lina, Fillia, and Xellos facefaulted.

"You've activated Program Rezo. Well done," Copy Rezo sneered. "_I_ am your cure. There is none other than me."

"What?"

"You, Zelgadiss, need me." Zel howled in anger and got ready to rip Copy Rezo apart.

* * *

"Amelia, you killed me!" the woman said. "Why?"

"Who are you?" Sirus demanded. "Why do you wish to hurt her Highness, so?"

"Don't tell me how to talk to my daughter!" Sirus was taken aback, though he still held the sobbing Amelia in his hands.

"Her mother? The Queen, Amria? But you've been dead for over ten years!"

"Yes, when I died that horrid death, Drreal-sama took my soul. I am his to command, just as Gorel and Copy Rezo are." She turned to Amelia. "Why did you kill me, Am-kun?

"But," Sirus interjected, completely baffled. "How could Princess Amelia have killed you. She was," he paused, doing the mental calculations. Fourteen years, from her Highness' age, "only four years old at the time. What could she have possibly done to kill you?"

"You fool!" said Amria. "She was there when I was killed! She could have done something to stop him or get help! No, she is just a coward who did nothing but watch me die. Amelia!" Amelia wailed.

"Am-kun, do you remember _him_?" She nodded. "Do you remember what he did?" Amelia wailed again.

"What are you doing to your own child?" Sirus shouted. He still held Amelia protectively in his arms.

"He," Amelia whispered. Sirus looked down to her tear stained face. "He. . . he robbed me of my maidenhood." Sirus suddenly understood why she hated rejection so.

"That cur!" he cursed. "How dare he violate you in that way? Give me his name and I will hunt him down for you, your Highness. I will drag him back to Sailoon for you to pass judgment upon that wretch who hurt you so!" Amria studied him.

"You are the innocent, are you not?"

"I am."

"Then how did this man violate my daughter?" Sirus frowned.

"I don't know. I once overheard my father trying to help with a women who said her maidenhood was taken from her. Father said that was the worst violation to bestow upon a women. What is it anyway?" Two sweatdrops suddenly appeared.

"Oi, Sirus-san, you really are innocent, ne?" Amelia said. Kotowa floated over and Sirus got his staff ready.

"Amria, dear," he said. "Get down to business or face the consequences."

"Yes, my Lord," she said quickly. "Do you remember him, Am-kun?" she repeated. "Do you remember what he said?"

"He…he.." Amelia's voice was unsteady again. "He said he was going to teach me what he couldn't teach you."

"What did he teach you?"

Amelia pulled away from Sirus and stood tall. "He taught me," she said in a strong voice, "that a hammer of justice is needed to protect those who follow a righteous path yet cannot protect themselves." Sirus applauded.

"Well said, you Highness."

"Oh really," Amria said coldly. "That's your father speaking. What did he teach you? You learned this lesson again didn't you? A few days ago?" Amria pointed to Zelgadiss who was fighting Fillia. "He taught you that lesson as well. What did you learn?"

Amelia was suddenly unsure of herself. Sirus stood protectively in front of her. "They taught me.." she said softly. "They taught me that..that…all will reject me because I am Princess….they taught me..that …that…men will betray you!"

"What?"

"Daddy was the first to betray me," Amelia whispered

"Prince Philionel? How?"

"He always wanted to hug me after Momma died. I'd say no. I couldn't since I had been robbed. But Daddy hugged me all the same. He betrayed my trust…"

"Exactly," Amria said. "And you betrayed mine. You killed me."

Sirus interjected again. He desperately wanted to put Amria's ghost to rest, but he knew that Amelia need to deal with this instead of running again. "I am sure that her Highness would have helped if he could." Amelia looked up.

"I did help."

"What?"

"I stood in front of the man before he attacked you with that knife. He just hit me aside and then..then he started chopping. I tried to pull him off, but he hit me back again. Momma, you told me to stay back!" Sirus took that as his cue. Raising his staff he murmured a brief incantation.

"Rest!" he commanded, pointing his staff to Queen Amria. She screamed, but slowly dissipated like smoke. Turning, he caught Amelia as she started to cry again.

"Why did momma have to die?" she whispered.

"It's alright now, your Highness. She's in peace now, where Drrael can't harm her." Amelia's grief was interrupted.

"WHERE'S MY CURE?" Amelia and Sirus facefaulted

* * *

Gourry locked swords again with Gorel. Gorel was exactly the same as Gourry remembered him. Gorel's hair fell over his left eye, as Gourry would do to his right eye when he got older. The armor Gorel wore was almost identical to his own. But Gorel looked more like their ancestor, Raudy Gabriev. After all this time, Gourry's older brother hadn't changed a bit. The only difference was that now, Gorel fought to kill instead of fighting for fun. Kotowa didn't help matters much with his taunts.

"How did it feel to kill your only brother? Your idol? Just so that you could get your hands on the Sword of Light. Was it worth it? Did you finally get your family's respect?"

"You stay out of this, whatever-your-name-is," Gourry barked. Kotowa fell to the ground.

Gorel finally spoke. "I see you're still as dumb as when you were a kid." He snickered and crossed swords again. "But then, you are blond, so I guess it's only natural for you."

"Perhaps," Kotowa agreed, "but blonds have more fun. Did you know he has two girls after him?"

"What?"

"The mayor's daughter, the priestess Drrael-sama took recently, and that redhead over there," Kotowa replied pointing to Lina who was preparing a spell.

"You've been busy, haven't you, little brother?"

Kotowa sighed. "I knew Amria was going to be to weak for this. Excuse me." Gourry breathed a sigh of relief as Kotowa finally left.

"Why did you kill me?" Gorel asked.

"I had no choice," Gourry replied quietly.

Kotowa floated back. "Sorry about the interruption. Did I miss anything?"

"He says he had no choice," laughed Gorel. "He killed me out of necessity."

"No choice?" Kotowa said. "Sorry Gourry, but you're bright enough to realize that you did have a choice that day. You could have taken the Sword of Light, or saved your brother's life."

"And you choose the family heirloom over me," Gorel finished. "Domo Arigatoo."

"I was told to take the Sword of Light," Gourry replied, reliving that awful day again. He shook his head and blocked Gorel's lunge.

"Who, little brother? Who told you that the sword was more important than me?"

"You, big brother. You."

"But Gourry, child," Kotowa chided. "Look back on that day. Don't you see how many opportunities you had to save your brother before taking the sword? What if.."

"WHERE'S MY CURE?" Gourry, Gorel, and Kotowa facefaulted. They all heard Copy Rezo proclaim that only he was the cure. Gourry mentally cheered as he saw Zel get ready to slice Copy Rezo. Unfortunately, Zel was thrown back.

"I think my job here is done," Kotowa said. "Ja ne!" He snapped his fingers and Gorel, Copy Rezo, and Kotowa himself disappeared. Gourry sheathed his sword and looked up to the sky. _Gorel, what's changed you?_ He was very quiet the rest of the night.   


Go to Part Seven-Talk, Talk, Talk


	7. Talk, Talk, Talk

**Part Seven Talk, Talk, Talk**

* * *

The next few days were very quiet for the most part. Both Gourry and Amelia closed themselves to everyone, leaving conversation very straight forward and no chance of humor. They finally stopped at a large inn in a moderately sized town. It was expensive, but Lina paid without argument. Once upstairs, everyone went their separate ways. Xellos and Fillia went to Xellos' room to talk strategy, as they almost always did now. Sirus followed Amelia to her room to try futily to comfort her. Gourry just went for a walk, Lina went downstairs for some food (that at least had not changed), and Zel went to the spring to bath and clear his head.

As he soaked, the hot water relaxing his muscles for the first time in days-considering he was forced to walk on his hind legs passing off as a crippled human-he pondered the somewhat crazy events of his life in the last weeks. Suddenly, without warning, much less his approval, he'd been thrown together with his old comrades and forced to fight another Mazoku player. He'd found out just how much Rezo had put into his chimeric form, including different phases and a Program Rezo that bothered him to no end, and he'd broken the heart of one of his dearest friends. Now Copy Rezo was back, to make life even harder for him. Zel wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

_>You can take much more than you realize._

Bull. My life is spiraling down to nothing and you come in with the commentary? You're no better than Kotowa.

>What do you want, Zelgadiss? In your heart of hearts?

I thought you knew everything about me?

>I do. But I want you to say it aloud. Or whatever.

Fine. What I really really REALLY want at this moment is for you to leave me alone. It's bad enough when Copy Rezo and Kotowa are inside my head and pulling me this way and that and manipulating me and making my life more miserable than it is. The last thing I need is ANOTHER version of Rezo to ruin my life.

>Is that what you really think of me? Surely you understand that I'm here not only for Rezo's best interest, but for yours as well.

I'll believe that when you leave me alone.

>Done. If you're going to be such a pain about it. Now that I'm activated, I can't shut down completely, but I can stay out of phase one. Once you elevate to higher phases, however, I have to make an appearance. And as a bonus, I'll leave you alone tonight until morning.

That's to good to be true.

>There is on condition. I request one hour of free control of you're body.

I'll tell you when.

>As long as you don't wait for months or something, I'll agree to It.

Fine. Whatever.

Zelgadiss heard a slight buzzing sound in his head, and then there was silence. Program Rezo was gone. "Rezo? Are you really gone?" Zelgadiss thought he was kidding, but he was really gone. Zel couldn't help but smile, even laugh. He was free! Well, temporarily anyway. He could live with it.

The chimera soaked a little more, relishing the silence in his mind, and then stepped out, wanting to share his news with someone. He found Lina stretched out on a sofa by the fire with a large meal on the coffee table in front of her. She glanced up when he approached.

"You sure look happy," she said sourly. "That makes one of us I guess."

Zel frowned, remembering how bad the situation still was.

"Sorry," he said clumsily.

Lina sat up and stretched lazily. "No big deal. We need some uplifting spirits nowadays." She patted the cushions next to her, offering him a seat. Zel took it and stared at the fire, suddenly totally clueless as to what to say.

"So, what's up?"

"Nothing really," Zel lied. "Just wanted to talk. And you seem to be the only one left for intelligent conversation."

"That's fine. What'd you want to talk about?"

"I don't know. Anything, I guess."

There was a long pause. Zel considered any number f subjects to bring up. But he threw them out just as quickly, each one sounding either lame, bookish, arrogant, or just plain wrong.

It was Lina who broke the silence.

"I don't think you've ever told me where you're from."

"Nowhere," he answered automatically.

WHACK

"Damnit, it you want to talk stop being to damn vague, damnit!"

"You already said that."

WHACK

"Fine," Zel said softly. He'd never told anyone his past. It was painful even to think about it. He took a deep breath.

"Okay, where I'm from isn't really a good question to ask. The most accurate answer I can give is from the streets. My mother died in childbirth. The midwife raised. But she was elderly. She died when I was five and I was suddenly very alone. I did everything I could; I sold, begged, stole, anything to get by. But I was never really very good at it. I had no skill to build upon and the older orphans or what have you were always more powerful. They had it very easy if they decided to pick on me or even beat me."

"Oh Zel," Lina whispered. "I didn't know."

Zelgadiss waved his hand. "It doesn't stop there. I wish it did. When I was around ten, I was sleeping in an alley. It was winter, and boxes weren't very warm. Anyway, I was awakened by some very loud people. Considering the time of night, I knew they were drunks; so I decided to investigate, hoping I could perhaps steal something from them. There were three of them. The took one look at me and started to laugh. They thought they might have some fun with me. So two of them held me down as the third, apparently the leader, took two bottles of whatever they were drinking and poured it down my throat.

"I was sick for three days after that. A month later I was walking through a market when I saw one of the drunks. I didn't think. I just reacted. I raced up to him and jumped him. A knife came from somewhere, and he was pretty cut up by the time the authorities pulled me off him. I found out that night that he'd died of his wounds.

"Whatever city it was, there was no such thing and children's court. I was sent to jail for six years. Prison is just an organized version of street life, and I faired there about as well as I did in the streets. There were a lot of fights in the mess hall. During one fight I saw an old merc about to get is, but I stepped in the way and took the beating for him.

"He took me under his wing after that. He gave me a bamboo sword and started to teach me. He was a hard master, high in expectation and low on patience. But it was my first real focus in my life, so I was grateful to him. The next four years were pretty quiet. One day we were sparing with sticks when the old man made a mistake. My bamboo went to his throat. The next day he died.

"I was released at seventeen. When they gave back my belongings, I had somehow earned a sword. The note with it said 'You deserve this. Astral Vine'."

"Your sword?"

"Hai. It wasn't long before I joined a merc group. The initiations were rough, but I learned fast. I slowly got better, but I never earned their respect. I was always on assignment to pick up the bodies after a raid. I was sick from it for a while, but I got used to it. One day I came across a woman and a man dressed in red standing among the bodies. The man was healing a merc who by all rights should have been dead. He was the first person who was obviously more powerful than me, but he was benevolent.

"I ran to him and begged him to teach me, to let me be his servant, his pupil, anything. He asked for my name. When I said my name was Greywers, he stiffened a little, but said nothing."

"Rezo."

Zelgadiss nodded. "Rezo took me under his wing and started teaching me Shamanism. He gave me probably the only gift I'm still grateful for. He taught me how to read."

"You mean… you couldn't read before the age seventeen?"

"Hai."

"But you know so much!"

"Imagine this. A blind man teaches you the purpose of words. How they're used and what they mean. It's like a door is opened, and an endless ocean lays before you. Everything is suddenly there to be understood. Any question can be answered, so long as you know where to look. I spent all my free time in the library. Knowledge brought me a wealth of power. My training almost doubled in speed, as things seemed suddenly much easier with the new understanding to it. But it wasn't enough. It's never enough. One morning I was practicing in the woods when Rezo asked me if I wanted power. After eighteen years of weakness, the answer was obvious. I said yes. I've been a monster since then."

"Oh my. Zel."

"Rezo had betrayed me. He was the only person who was ever benevolent to me, and he betrayed me."

"Well, that explains why you never trusted anyone."

"Not true. I trust you, Gourry, Amelia, and Fillia with no problem. I've watched you. I know I can trust you. Sirus rubs me wrong. He doesn't even believe that I was human. And Xellos, well."

"You rang?" Xellos said as he appeared next to Lina on the sofa. "So I can have dinner with you? Why thank you!"

"You're having dinner without me?" Fillia stated as she sat down next to Xellos.

"FOOD!" Gourry plopped down.

"Thank you for treating us," Amelia said as she took a seat. "Come on Sirus-san!"

"My thanks, your Highness," he said sitting down. With no more room on the sofa, Zel fell to the floor.

"I'm going to bed," he said sourly. He shifted to his hind legs and did a fair job of keeping his balance as he went up the stairs. Once in his room, he threw of his cloak and dropped down to all fours, pacing. Remember, he is stuck in Phase X. Things were not going as he'd have preferred them. But then again, when did his life ever go right? There was a soft knock on his door.

"Who is it?" he barked.

"Lina." Zel padded over to the door and opened it. Once Lina was in, he shut the door and asked why she was here.

"To finish our conversation." Lina sat down on a stool near Zel's bed while Zel sat on his haunches by her side.

"Fine."

"How?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"How did you still turn out a good person?"

"I'm sorry, Lina, but I don't understand."

"After all that crap that happened to you as a child, how did you become a good person? Most people would have just buckled and turned to hate. Why didn't you?"

"I am hardly pure."

"But you are a good person. Nee-Chan once said 'The only ones who can come from hell are strong ones or evil ones.' I'd hardly call you evil."

Zel thought for a moment. After all his life of being weak, Lina was saying he was strong. It didn't sit right with him. "No, Lina. I'm not strong. When we first met, I knew I could trust you to get what I wanted. I wasn't strong then."

"But now?" He looked up to her to find her staring at him.

"Almost all of you are my friends. You give me strength. If I have to borrow strength, then I'm not very strong."

"Most of us? Not all of us?"

"I don't trust Sirus or Xellos. And you.." Zel's voice trailed off. Somehow, their faces seemed a lot closer than they were before.

"And me?" Lina whispered.

"As I chimera, I can't have certain feelings. They'd only cause pain."

"What sort of feelings?" Lina replied, leaning in closer.

"Feelings like this," he whispered. He leaned closer and ever so gently graced Lina's lips with his own. Lina started to return the kiss, passionately. Zelgadiss pulled away. "That's exactly why I can't have those feelings. I'll hurt someone in the long run."

"How?" Lina demanded angrily. "How could admitting how you feel for someone hurt them?"

"I've already crushed Amelia!" Zel responded loudly. "Don't let me crush you too!" Lina got up and went over to the door.

"This isn't over, Zel. I'll go now, but we still have much to discuss." She slammed the door. Zelgadiss sighed, hopped onto his bed and curled up. He should have known better. His life was doomed from the beginning. With these thoughts, he fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

Xellos shot up from his bed roll in a cold sweat. They had left town the previous evening and they had made camp. Xellos shook his head, trying to forget the dream. It was awful. He didn't even want to think about it.

Xellos tried to concentrate on calming down, but it didn't work. Emotions were running through him at an incredible speed and he didn't have any idea on how to sort through them. He was a Mazoku. Yet now, feelings, fears, hopes, anything a human felt was crushing down on him. Xellos could not understand how humans could put up with it. As a Mazoku, he had cold logic to guide him in anything he did. However, since Drrael had turned him human, he found he was confused. Confused was new to him to begin with, but he was also trying to understand exactly what all these feelings were. They seemed to stifle him and release him all at the same time. Xellos found that it was harder and harder to keep up his cheerful demeanor when he felt the exact opposite. He found it harder and harder to say "Sore wa himitsu desu," because he suddenly had an understanding of how people felt when he said that.

Xellos shook his head again, trying to clear his mind. He looked around the fire to see everyone was sound asleep. That surprised him. Zelgadiss was supposed to be on watch, since he didn't need sleep in his upper phases, but he was curled up by the fire, wings wrapped around him and his ears twitching.

"Why are you awake, Xellos," Zel said, raising his head from his fore paws.

"I thought you were on watch."

"I am." Xellos gave him a skeptical look. "My eyes are very sharp. I can see an insect moving out in the forest at this time of night, but even if I don't need sleep, my eyes do need rest. Besides, I have other senses. I can smell someone coming a mile away and my ears can hear a heartbeat from a mile and a half. I'll know if someone's coming. Now back to my original question. Why are you awake, Xellos?"

Xellos sighed. There was no point in hiding. Human emotions told him to be truthful. "I had a nightmare."

"Oh?"

"I saw Drrael, covered in blood. He systematically killed Fillia, Amelia, and Lina. You, the others, myself, we all watching in horror. You and the others had a look of anguish, anger, and fear, hatred that I rarely see on anyone. Then, I could see that same look of fear on my own face." Xellos shuddered. "I've never been so scared of the future before. Drrael is powerful; I don't know if we can beat him."

"A Mazoku? Afraid?" Zel snickered briefly. "Who would have thought."

"I'm human now, Zelgadiss," Xellos said coldly. "Which is more than I can say for you at the moment." Zelgadiss glared at him, eyes narrowing.

"Touché." They fell into a bleak silence, broken only by the crackling fire that Xellos fed. They stayed like that for a while. Xellos felt extremely awkward, not knowing what to say. It was Zelgadiss who finally spoke.

"Maybe it's a good thing that you've become human."

"Oh?" Xellos said, watching the fire dance.

"Now you understand humans better. There is no need for you to create fear to feed yourselves. You need only look for it."

"I never created fear for food."

"Then would you mind explaining, 'Sore wa himitsu desu' to me? If that didn't give you enough emotions to feed on, then what did?"

"I did that for manipulations, not food. Though people doubt it, Mazoku only feed to exist. We have no emotions, so we can't get pleasure for making people suffer. I never intentionally hurt someone in order to get a meal. I could always find a good deal of pain elsewhere to satisfy my needs." There was another awkward silence. Xellos decided it was his turn to break it.

"What about you, Zelgadiss? What do you fear?"

"Ha. You'd get a great meal from me if you were still a Mazoku. I'm living my fear. Program Rezo told me of the original Rezo's plans for me. Since Shabranigdo would be resurrected to open his eyes, he was going to use Zanaffar to beat him. However, I was his back up if it didn't work. He would control me and force me to kill Shabranigdo, then anyone else who stood in his way. Now I've become the monster he created. I fear everything." Xellos felt a certain amount of sympathy. His Master would always control him. Right now he feared everything because all of these feelings were new to him. All but one, which he pushed away as he glanced at Fillia.

"We're more alike than either of us would care to admit, Zelgadiss."

"Shh," Zel said harshly. His ears twitched and he silently jumped up to all four.

"What is it?" Xellos whispered.

"I smell Kotowa, 100 Lesser Demons. You stay here." Zelgadiss ran into the night. Xellos tried to stop him, but knew he could do nothing. He remained by the fire, straining to hear something. Straining to see anything. Something or anything to tell him what was going on. _Is this worry? Am I worried about Zelgadiss, whom I always tease?_ Xellos realized that was exactly what he was feeling. He felt kinship, companionship, worry, fear for an ally, and a myriad of other things he couldn't identify. _Damn it, how_ do_ humans manage all these emotions!_ The silence seemed perpetual, save only for the crackling of the fire. The blackness of the night was never ending beyond their small camp. What if Zelgadiss finally met his match? What if 100 Lesser Demons were too much for him? What if they lost their only person who could lead them to Drrael? What if…Xellos felt a small breeze. It wasn't a natural breeze. Glancing up, he saw Zelgadiss glide in overhead, going towards a small stream nearby. Xellos followed him.

Reaching the stream, Xellos watched Zelgadiss gently land into the stream. Though the light from the fire was dim this far away, Xellos saw something on Zel's snout, tail, legs and hands. It was the smell that gave it away.

"Blood?" he whispered. "Are you okay?" Zelgadiss started to wash the blood away.

"Sorry I took so long," Zel said quietly. "That took longer than I expected."

"Where did all that blood come from?" Xellos demanded. "I was worr-" his voice trailed off.

Zelgadiss' face darkened. "Rezo still had the last laugh. I told you his plans for me. In order for me to be a match for Shabranigdo or Zanaffar, he made my upper phases more savage. Particularly this phase, which I'm stuck in until I can kill Copy Rezo." Zel's face darkened even more as he finished washing the blood away. He stepped out of the stream and dropped to all fours again.

Xellos was amazed that Zel was so angry. They walked back to the camp in silence, but Xellos' mind was racing. How could Zelgadiss be so angry at the world, but still be so calm when handling things that happen to him? A human emotion answered his question. _He is strong. Tell him that_. Xellos started to question himself, but all emotions guided him to do it. He sat down on his bedroll.

"You know, Zelgadiss," he said "You are a very strong young man."

"Forgive me if I disagree," Zel said, sitting on his haunches. "I was weak when I allowed Rezo to do this to me. I was weak when I allowed Program Rezo to control me. I am weak."

"But you can fight." Xellos was amazed that the words were coming out of his lips. Did emotions always guide humans with such clarity? "You can fight Zelgadiss. You fight your anger to do the right thing in a situation. You can fight Rezo, Copy Rezo, and Program Rezo, anyone who tries to control you. You can fight your fears and you can fight yourself if you don't like something you've done. You're strong Zelgadiss, which is more than I can say for myself." Did he really say that last line? Was he really weak?

"What do you mean, you can't fight?" Zelgadiss probed. Xellos glanced at Fillia and felt a tear roll down his cheek. _Damn it, how do humans control their emotions?_ Once more the words came from him. He didn't want to say them, but they came out anyway.

"You can fight Zelgadiss, and you can defend yourself. In my current state, I can't do anything. As a Mazoku, I could manipulate energy and people to do what I wanted. As a human, I don't want to manipulate people because I know how they will feel and I don't want them to feel it. I can't use magic. The only magic I know are high level spells that I could cast because I had talismans or Mazoku power to back me up. Now I'm reduced to the few spells I learned in case of an emergency. These spells can't help me protect.." Xellos' voice disappeared. Some sort of human instinct brought his knees up to his chest. He looked over to Fillia again as another tear slid down his cheek. "You're strong Zelgadiss. Stronger than you could even know." Wiping the tears from his eyes, he looked over to Zelgadiss. Zel's face had softened. Though he still had a feral look, his face somehow looked like it understood.

A small spell appeared in Zel's hand. "You shouldn't be thinking about these things now," he whispered. "Focus on Drrael. Sleep." Zel released the spell and Xellos suddenly felt very tired. A small fear came of the nightmare returning, but somehow, he knew it wouldn't. The last thing he saw was Zelgadiss, curling up by Lina, with one wing protectively covering her. _Perhaps he really does understand… _The emotions inside of him finally were put to rest, as he fell asleep.   


Go to Part Eight-Mazu Slave


	8. Mazu Slave

**Part Eight Mazu Slave**

* * *

Gourry grimly got up the following morning. Though the past few days had been quiet, he knew that he was going to have to face Gorel again. What had happened to his brother to make him change so much? Gourry didn't have a choice on that cursed day, so why did he feel so guilty? Gourry could feel his heart sag. Though, to everyone else, he acted normally, he knew that something in side him was changing and he couldn't understand if it was for better or worse. As he grabbed a bun from Lina, he wished Sylphiel was here to explain what was happening to him.

Later that morning, Gourry was following Zel through a small path in the woods. Everyone was unusually quiet, just as the forest was. There was no sound other than their footfalls. Everyone had their weapons handy. There was something in the air that screamed ambush. Zelgadiss halted, ears twitching.

"What's wrong?" Lina asked quietly.

"Lesser Demons," he whispered. "Kotowa, Copy Rezo." He sniffed the air. "That guy Gourry fought before." Gourry's grip tightened on his sword. He was going to fight Gorel again. Zelgadiss continued. "They're heading this way. Fast, very fast."

"Actually," said Kotowa from behind them. "We're already here."

"What?" Everyone whirled around. There was Copy Rezo, Gorel, and Kotowa standing before an army of demons.

"That," Kotowa said. "Was just a bunch of demons with our scents on them. We teleported here. Now then, shall we begin?" Out of the corner of his eye, Gourry saw Lina hop onto Zel's back and go charging into the woods with Copy Rezo following them. Everyone else attacked the demons, leaving Gourry to face Gorel again. They locked swords.

"Ah," Kotowa said, floating over them. "Who will win this Battle of Brothers, ne? Will Gorel avenge himself on his killer and sibling, or will Gourry reassert his claim to the Sword of Light? Will the darkness of hatred prevail, or the light which is sworn to fight it?" Gourry and Gorel gave no answers. "Oh to hell with the announcer, just fight!'

"Why did you kill me, little brother?" Gorel asked. Gourry felt like a dagger was struck through his chest and twisted. Their fight was temporarily interrupted as a large explosion was heard in the distance.

"By Drrael-sama, Copy Rezo can really dish it out," Kotowa whispered. "Or was that Lina? Oh well, doesn't matter."

"Why, Gourry? Why?" Gourry remained silent. They continued to fight. Gourry noticed that everyone else was whittling down the Lesser Demons with ease. The most surprising part was the spells that Sirus was using. No one had ever seen them before. The fight progressed with neither Gourry nor Gorel gaining an upper hand. Finally, Gorel saw an opening and sliced deeply into Gourry's sword arm. He cried out in pain and almost tripped back. He switched hands.

"Oh goodie!" Kotowa said, sounding very childish. "We may be on the verge of a victory for a change. Get him Gorel!" Gorel started to advance, but another explosion distracted him. Gourry sliced Gorel's arm similarly. A second, smaller explosion was heard. Gorel was now enraged and their battle intensified.

"Gorel!" Gourry shouted. "Big bro, stop this! I don't want you to die again!" Gourry brought up his sword to defend, but the blow was to strong. The sword flew from Gourry's hands and he fell back. Gorel got ready for the final blow.

"Gourry may not be able to kill you," Xellos said, appearing behind Gorel. "But I can!" He jabbed the end of his staff into Gorel's back. "Ice!" he commanded. Whatever enchantment he called upon worked in freezing Gorel from head to toe in ice.

"Oh please," Kotowa said. With a snap of his fingers, Gorel was free from the ice and stumbled forward, landing on Gourry's sword which he had grabbed to bring up in defense. The sword ran him through. Gorel fell to the ground, dead.

"Nooooooo!" Gourry cried out. "Gorel!"

Meanwhile, Kotowa decided to do his own fighting. A ball of black energy appeared in his hands and he aimed it at Xellos. Xellos was able to dodge, but only barely. Kotowa got another ball ready when a large mace made contact to his head. Knocked off balance, Sirus and Amelia attacked.

"Domu Bras!" Amelia shouted. The spell erupted from her hands.

"Cepheid Flare!" Sirus commanded. Surprisingly, the spell did not seem to come from anywhere in particular. A large fiery orb of light suddenly appeared in front of Sirus' staff which he released.

Kotowa stumbled back, but stood straight. _Damn it, they_ are _good_. Kotowa summoned the black orbs again. At the same time, he called more Lesser Demons forth.

"You know," Xellos mentioned. "You never seem to call upon other Mazoku. Could it be that no one other than you will follow Drrael? Gee I wonder why."

"Shut your mouth!" Kotowa yelled, throwing all the orbs at him. Unfortunately, that golden priestess cast a strong shield

"Sirus! Amelia!" Everyone turned around to see Zelgadiss make a not very graceful crash into the ground with Lina. Lina stood up and rolled up her sleeves. "Come here.:"

* * *

"What?" Everyone whirled around. There was Copy Rezo, Gorel, and Kotowa standing before an army of demons.

"That," Kotowa said. "Was just a bunch of demons with our scents on them. We teleported here. Now then, shall we begin?" Zel looked around the area again, confirming the fact that he had been here before.

"Lina," he whispered. "Get on."

"What?"

"Just get on!" he barked. "Ride me like a horse!" Wordlessly, Lina obeyed. Zel took off into the woods. As Zel predicted, Copy Rezo followed them. He explained his plan to Lina as he raced for a cliff nearby. "I know this area. I'll fly out over a cliff and you get ready to give Copy Rezo a Dragu Slave he won't forget."

"Okay, but a Dragu Slave won't do it. He's somehow been enhanced by Drrael, or Kotowa, or whoever is raising the dead."

"That's why after you get him off balance, I'm going to dive in." Zel broke through the trees and opened his wings, soaring out into the air. Far below them rested a field of wildflowers. Once out a fair distance, Zel whirled around and hovered. Just breaking through the trees was Copy Rezo.

"Now!"

"Dragu Slave!" The spell exploded from Lina's hands and nailed Copy Rezo. Zel flew up into the sun, leaving Lina levitating. She would be his backup if this didn't work. As the smoke cleared, Zel could see Copy Rezo's form. Animal instinct took over and he dove at a fierce speed. He plowed into Copy Rezo and slammed him against the cliff's sheer face. Zel wrapped himself around Copy Rezo as much as possible to prevent him from using any spells. Copy Rezo did manage to stab the end of his staff into Zel's side

With a cruel feral smile, Zel concentrated a spell into his hands. "Ra…"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Copy Rezo smiled.

"Tilt!" The spell released into Copy Rezo. However, it was Zelgadiss who was on the receiving end of the spell. Releasing Copy Rezo from his grasp and convulsions, Zelgadiss was suddenly aware that the end of Copy Rezo's staff was imbedded in his side. It was the perfect conductor.

"You may have reprogrammed yourself," Copy Rezo said arrogantly. "But I still control you."

_>When did this happen?Program Rezo demanded. Zelgadiss started to fall. He was faintly aware of Lina calling out his name.

* * *

_

"Zel!" Lina cried out as he convulsed from the affects of the Ra Tilt he cast on Copy Rezo. As Zelgadiss fell, he started to open his wings, slowing him down as he started to get some control of where he was going. Copy Rezo tsked him and somehow, the Ra Tilt went through Zelgadiss again. Lina adjusted her levitation spell and caught up with Zel as fast as she could.

Once with him, she got onto Zel's back and opened his wings by hand. With more surface area, their descent slowed, but the ground was still hard. Lina stood up, ignoring the throbbing in her leg and arm. She was pissed, but the smell of the wild flowers calmed her. Perhaps a dozen yards away, Copy Rezo landed.

_Please, L-sama, help me,_ Lina quietly thought. "Darkness beyond twilight, Crimson beyond blood that flows, Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows." Zel stood up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her power. "I pledge myself to conquer, all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand. Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess. Dragu Slave!"

The spell blasted from her hands like it always did, but Lina thought that the light tricked her eyes. For a brief moment, it appeared to be golden. But Lina was to tired. Even with Zel's power boost, she threw everything she had into that spell. She fell to her knees. They didn't have time to fight with all of these dead people. They had to stop Drrael before anyone else was killed. She had seen the torture that Amelia endured when her dead mother came back to life. Though her selfish attitude wouldn't admit it, she vowed to make Drrael pay for hurting her friends like that.

Lina looked up. Copy Rezo was still standing. She swore. Loud and at length. But this was lost as something came from behind her.

"Dragu Slave!" Though much weaker than the one she had cast, Lina turned to see Zel collapse, breathing hard.

"Zel?"

"Is that all you've got!" Damn it, Copy Rezo was still alive. Something heavy was put in her hand. She looked down. Zel had given her his sword. With his hand on hers, he whispered, "Astral Vine." The sword's enchantment activated.

"He's weak Lina. Weaker than he's letting on. You can do it." Lina turned to Copy Rezo. She studied him. Zel was right. He wasn't moving quite so fast and his voice wavered ever so slightly as he tried to taunt her into using the Giga Slave. With Zel's sword raised, she rushed him. She cast a minor Levitation just to give her more speed. Copy Rezo brought up his staff, but Lina kicked him in the stomach. Off balance and stumbling back, she gave the final blow. He fell to the ground and disappeared. The enchantment stopped and Lina went back to Zel.

"Okay, get off your knees and fly!" she commanded.

"What?"

"The others are going up against Kotowa and Lesser Demons. They're going to need help." She climbed onto his back.

"Lina, I don't have any power left. The Ra Tilt attacked my Mazoku third and spread to the rest of me." Lina placed her hands on Zel's shoulders, as he had done with her, and gave him her power.

"Now fly." Zelgadiss grumbled but started to flap his wings. Within a moment, he started to maneuver the wind currents and climbed high above the cliff. Off in the distance a tiny village lay nestled in the woods. Unsteadily, Zel glided down to the battlefield where spells ignited the area. As they came in for a landing, Lina saw Gorel dead with Gourry looking frozen. Kotowa was a little ruffed up with black orbs in his hand. Lesser Demons were appearing behind him. Xellos said something as Zel started to dive down. Kotowa let loose the orbs, but Fillia cast a shield in time to save everyone.

"Sirus! Amelia!" Lina called. She knew Zel was going to need a healer. Everyone turned around to see Zelgadiss make a not very graceful crash into the ground with Lina. Lina stood up and rolled up her sleeves. "Come here."

Everyone came over to her, except Gourry who was dragged over by Fillia. "Leave Kotowa to me. Sirus, Amelia, heal Zel. Fillia, protect them and give them enough time for Xellos to teleport all of you to the nearest town. It's about a half mile that way," she said pointing. "I'll join you there tonight."

">Even with your healing spells,Zelgadiss is going to be unconscious for three days. He needs rest and I will be going over his programming thoroughly to avoid this in the future.

"Fine," Lina said. She turned to Kotowa.

"Lina!" Sirus grabbed her arm and looked at her. "You are too weak to go against Kotowa. I'll handle him."

"No Sirus," she replied, pulling her arm free. "You're our best healer. Zel needs you now."

"Lina, the spells of Shamanism and Black Magic require the caster to use their own energy to control it. You don't have the strength."

"I said.." Sirus raised a hand.

"I know what you said and I shall going to obey you. But you can not defeat him using your usual spells. Remember what I have taught you. Offensive white magic draws energy from the world around us and controls itself. You will not be drained of any more energy. Use the spell from the book." Xellos grabbed onto Sirus and teleported. Lina looked at Kotowa, going over everything Sirus had taught her and the spell that she had received. It had to work.

"So," Kotowa said. "It's just you and me now." With a wave of his hand, he banished the Lesser Demons. Small black orbs of power appeared in his hands. "You will finally pay for killing Gaav-sama!" The orbs were released and hurtled towards her. She leapt aside. "Your move," he said.

"Are you sure?" Lina asked.

"Very. I want to see what this spell of yours can do."

"It's your funeral." 

_**"Brightness beyond Sunlight,   
Fullness beyond life that flows,   
Buried in the purest heart is where your power grows.   
I pledge myself to aiding,   
All the foes who stand,   
Before the might gift bestowed in my unworthy hand.   
Let the vile who stand before me be defeated by the light that you and I posses   
MAZU SLAVE!"**_

The spell was the exact opposite of the Dragu Slave. Instead of being designed to kill Ryuzuku, it destroyed Mazoku. Bits of light appeared from all the living things around her. The trees, the grass, the animals nearby everything. All the light gathered into her hands. She did nothing to control it. No energy was drained from her. But the light seemed to know what she wanted. Once it was formed, it released itself towards Kotowa. He would never see a day or night again. He ceased to exist.

After the light destroyed Kotowa, it came to her. Lina tried to run away, not wanting to be destroyed, but found she couldn't move. The light surrounded her. For a brief moment, Lina truly understood what peace was. Then she collapsed.

* * *

When Lina woke up, it was dark out. All of the pain and weariness she felt before was gone, though that knowledge that she found peace temporarily lingered. Something felt vaguely different about herself. She didn't know what, but she had confidence that she would know when the time was right.

"Lina!" a voice called in the distance. It sounded familiar.

"Lina can you hear me!"

"I'm over here Xellos!" she called back. They came together under a great pine tree.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes," she replied quietly. "That spell not only destroyed Kotowa, but it healed me as well."

"Lina, are you sure you're all right?"

"Perfectly."

"Really?" Xellos said. "You sound different."

Lina hit him on the head hard. "I SAID I WAS FINE NOW BACK OFF!"

"Yup," the ground said. "That's the Lina we all know and love." Standing up. Xellos grabbed her arm, slamming his staff to the ground and teleported to an inn. "You were right about this town. It's actually quite cozy." Xellos smiled. Lina looked around. Fillia was sitting at a table in the corner having tea with Amelia. Sirus was coming down the stairs looking very tired. Gourry and Zelgadiss were nowhere to be found.

"Where's Zel and Gourry?" she asked.

"Gourry's in his room and refuses to come out," Sirus said glumly. "Zelgadiss' wounds are healed, but like Program Rezo said, he is not waking up. I believe we are stuck here for a few days." Lina's shoulders dropped. "Did the spell work?"

"Beautifully!" Lina said. "Do you have any more books you'd like to share with me?"

"No." Lina's face fell.

"Lina," Sirus said. "I know you must feel great right now, but you should go to bed as soon as possible. That was the first time you cast that type of spell. Even though you didn't use your own energy, the process is overwhelming. Go to bed before you collapse."

"What are you talking about?" Lina yelled. "I've never felt bett…" Lina fainted.

* * *

Sirus and Amelia had brought up Lina so Xellos sat by Fillia and decided it was time to discuss what they were going to do when they finally caught up with Drrael.

"Kotowa is finally dead," Xellos said.

"Thank Cepheid," Fillia replied. "The psychological damage he was doing on everyone was incredible. I mean, if Zelgadiss wasn't messed up before, he certainly is now. And poor Amelia. She's still dealing with her mother's death."

"Gourry doesn't seem to be doing that much better either. As I recall, in that last battle he had with that Gorel character, I believe that he was Gourry's older brother."

"Oh dear," she said. "And they way Gorel died? He must be blaming himself." Fillia sighed. There was a moment of silence. Xellos impulsively reached over and put is hand on Fillia's.

"It'll be okay, Fillia." He stoked her hand. "We're going to face Drrael and we're going to win."

"I hope so," Fillia whispered. She put her other hand on Xellos'. For some reason, the act comforted Xellos. It felt good, but he didn't know how else to describe it. It was also familiar. Something he had felt since he first met Fillia. But if he was a Mazoku then, how could he feel? He changed topics. Both in his head and his conversation.

"We must be close."

"And how do you figure that?" she asked.

"Kotowa. He would never actually do his own dirty work. That's why he always called up demons to do it. For him to actually fight us on his own indicates he was getting desperate to get rid of us. We're close."

"Good. I want to give that semi-Mazoku a piece of my mind."

"Indeed. I have a few things to say to him as well. I think we'll have to depend on Lina to destroy him."

"Probably. She's the only one with spells powerful enough to defeat anyone."

"Hai. I think a Giga Slave would do it, but that's out of the question."

"Agreed. Besides, I don't think it would work." Xellos raised an eyebrow and Fillia explained. "I've been having this dream that Lina cast a Giga Slave at Drrael. As soon as it hit, any control it or she had was lost."

"Ouch," Xellos whispered. "What about the Laugne Blade?"

"It could work, but she'd have to hit him with it. I doubt that it would be that simple."

"Perhaps. But what if Zelgadiss and Amelia keep him from the Astral Plane with a few dozen Ra Tilts?"

"That might do, but Drrael might be fast on his feet. The fact that the general public doesn't know of his existence points to that. I think Gourry, Sirus and myself will attack him while Lina prepares the spell."

Xellos felt a wave of helplessness and uselessness start to drown him. "And what about me?" he whispered.

"You can probably port in and out getting the injured away. I doubt we're going to get through this unscaved." For some reason, that made Xellos feel better.

"So we have a plan." Xellos got up, pulling his hand from Fillia's grasp. "I think we may need some sleep. We'll need all the energy we can muster when we get to Drrael."

"Indeed." They both went upstairs to their individual rooms.   


Go to Part Nine-The Misadventures of Sirus and Amelia


	9. The Misadventures of Sirus and Amelia

**Part Nine The Misadventures of Sirus and Amelia**

* * *

The following morning, Amelia was up early and eager to do some shopping to get her mind off of everything that was happening. So she dragged Sirus along with her. As much as Sirus liked Amelia, he could not understand how shopping would help her. Still, he pledged himself into her service, so he followed, hoping he wouldn't end up bag boy.

It was a very small town. So small it didn't even have a name. There was an inn that doubled as a restaurant where they were staying and one tiny magic shop run by the local magic guild. Other than that, there was a small general store and the rest was houses. Sirus doubted they even had some sort of jail. It was the type of town that was perpetually peaceful, nestled in a forest with only one road going through it, under a large mountain that protected them. This nameless town probably should have been named peace for that was how it was designed. The architecture was old, indicating to Sirus that it was probably around during the Kouma war.

A small child ran by them rolling a hoop on the ground with a small group of others chasing him. A young wife was kissing her husband in the doorway and a gardener tended to her roses. There was an old man being helped across the street by a young man and another old man yelling at a slightly younger man. _Wait a minute, an argument?_ Sirus directed Amelia over so they could hear what was gong on.

"It is against the law!" said the older of the two men.

"But it is the way of power!" replied the other man.

"You wish to destroy us all?"

"Iya. Just rule you all! For too long you have crushed us with that stupid law, but no more! We will conquer!"

Sirus looked down to say something to Amelia, but found she wasn't there. Looking up, he saw her on a roof. Sirus sighed. Before Amelia could begin her speech, the younger of the arguers clapped his hands. A large chimera came up from the ground.

"Let's see how you handle this, old man!" The chimera slowly stepped forward. Amelia took her cue and leapt between the chimera and the old man. Sirus stepped up by her side.

"Halt, vile villain!" she demanded. "I am Amelia Wil Tesa Sailoon," Sirus heard the old man behind them facefault, "and I shall not let an evil being like this destroy the peace and harmony of this perfect village. Give up or face the glowing Hammer of Justice!"

"You think you can fight my chimera?" the man retorted. "I'd love to see you try, child."

"How dare you presume a woman's age!" Amelia darted forward. "Blam blaser!" The chimera repelled the spell. "Nani?" Amelia jumped back. "You can not defeat the Hammer of Justice. As the protector of all and the one who follows any path righteous, I shall," Sirus cut in.

"Excuse me, Your Highness," he said. "May I be permitted to deal with this creature on your behalf?"

"I..I.." she turned back to the chimera. "You are too vile to dirty the hands of the Hammer of Justice. I shall have my Ally of Justice take care of you!"

"Domo arigatoo," Sirus said, bowing. "Power of light, let this unnatural creature return to the veil of nothingness it came from. Ne Sham!" As the spell dictated, such a creature should not exist. Thus the good of the people of the village, on whom he called, lent him the power to be rid of the chimera. All that was left was an empty shell.

"You…you…you," stuttered the loser.

"Yes, I defeated your chimera."

"You'll pay for this! All of you will!" The man ran off.

"You are the princess of Sailoon?" the old man asked, kneeling before Amelia. "The holy city which not even the Mazoku would face during the Kouma War? You and your ally must come with me!" Grabbing Amelia's hand, the old man disappeared in a cloud of dust. Sirus stayed behind and studied the husk of the chimera.

"Interesting. A golem mixture with several minor magical creatures," he muttered to himself. "But not very good. Nor high level because it doesn't have any Mazoku or Shinzuku in it. Obviously amateurs." Knowing what he needed to know, he got up, brushed the dirt off his knees and followed the dust cloud to Amelia and the old man.

"I need you help oh holy princess!" the old man demanded. "In our humble town we don't have much of a magic guild. The most powerful spell that anyone here knows is a Fireball." Amelia and Sirus collapsed to the floor. The both then sat up with hair sprouting and sweatdrops forming.

"Are you sure, Guild Director-san?" Amelia asked. "That's your most powerful spell?"

"Hai." Sirus got the feeling they were about to be pulled into something. "Our magic guild keeps research books. As you may have guessed, our small village was around during the Kouma war. At the time, we didn't even know what was going on. We are a peaceful village that is not within the boundaries of any kingdom. Thus, we don't get many visitors. Until an army of chimeras came into our peaceful home. They started to fight. Another army followed and destroyed the horrid chimeras. They explained about the Kouma war and gave us a book by the mad man who had created those monsters. They told us to hold onto the book and protect it. Before the army left to continue it's holy fight against the Mazoku menace, they taught a few of us some minor spells to help us. That was the start of our magic guild. However, lately a small number of our guild wanted to dive into that cursed research. As guild director, I enforced the law forbidding such practice. Our town was almost destroyed once and we would not have that happened again. They broke away from our guild and our town and went into the forest. Now they are making these beasts. So with no magic to defend ourselves, I must implore you to aid us!"

"But you do not need magic to defend yourselves," Sirus stated. Amelia and the guild director stared at him. "Just before we came here, I studied that chimera. It's a golem mixture. All you would have to do is dig a deep trench and fill it with water. Their massive bulk cannot leap a wide enough trench and it is be so heavy, they will drown themselves."

"You are brilliant!" the old man said, kneeling before Sirus, who blushed.

"Ara, you do not need to do that."

"But how will we have enough time to dig such a trench?"

"We shall go off into the woods and defend this town by distracting these vile villains who wish to destroy such peace and harmony!" Amelia pledged.

"I shall also advise using magic to dig your trenches," Sirus added. "It shall go faster with a Fireball to the ground than a shovel."

"Good point! We'll get our whole town on it!"

"With such allies of justice working together our plan shall not fail!"

"Actually, it can," Sirus corrected. Amelia fell of the chair she was standing on. "If this renegade faction of the guild gets any idea what you are doing, they will send chimeras before you have time to complete your work. I recommend starting after dark. That way we will have time to distract them and you can start under the cover of darkness."

"You're a genius!" The old man grabbed Sirus in a great bear hug.

"A..aa…arigatoo, Guild Director-san."

"Then let us go forth to the place of battle!" Amelia said. She pulled Sirus out the door. He stopped her when they reached the street.

"Your Highness," he said. "Tell me quietly. How do you plan about doing this?"

"Why going out to the woods and attacking them, of course!"

"May I make a different suggestion, your Highness?"

"Of course. You are a very wise man, like Lina-san I will be guided by you."

"Thank you. Will you come with me?" He brought her back to the restaurant. Inside was a few people, one of whom was a man dressed in a cape and hood that covered his face. The hooded man tried, very unsuccessfully to look normal as he looked every which way, spying on all around. Sirus knew what to do. He seated Amelia across from him at a table next to the shifty character. "Your Highness, I recommend that we get a good meal and a good night's rest and go after this rogue faction of the magic guild in the morning," he said loudly and clearly.

"A brilliant suggestion, Sirus-san! Let us eat and then go to bed!" Amelia suddenly stopped, faltered, and blushed, but Sirus didn't understand why. After their meal, he led her upstairs.

"But first, let us check upon our injured companion." Again, he made sure his voice was loud for the shifty man to hear. He let Amelia into Zelgadiss' room, and looked around before shutting the door. Sure enough, the shifty man was leaving in a hurry. Sirus turned to Amelia to give her congratulations on being such a good actress, but he saw her eyes were filling with tears. Looking where she was looking he understood why. The sun was setting out over horizon. The sunlight poured into the room and cast a gentle shade of red to Zelgadiss, who still looked exhausted. Lina was in a chair by his bed, and was asleep with her head on his bed.

"Oh my," he said. "Gomenasai, Your Highness," he said. Amelia left the room quickly. Sirus gently put Lina back in the chair and put a blanket around her. He couldn't understand why Lina would have feelings for an AI, but he wasn't about to pry. He left the room quietly and knocked on Amelia's door. She let him in.

"Gomenasai, your Highness," he said bowing. "I did not know. If I did, I would not have subject you to that torture upon you heart. I apologize." Amelia wiped the tears from her eyes.

"What is your plan for tomorrow morning, Sirus-san?" she asked.

"We will infiltrate their base tonight, your Highness."

"Stop that."

"I am sorry?"

"Don't call me 'your Highness'. Just call me Amelia. 'Your Highness' is nice and all, but it's not me. Just call me Amelia."

"As you wish, Amelia-san."

"No suffixes. Just Amelia."

"As I was saying, Amelia. I understand that as the Hammer of Justice you must wear white at all times, but you should wear something dark tonight. I plan on sneaking into the renegades' base and do some tampering there. With any luck, their systems will be so damaged that they will take at least a few days to fix it, giving the villagers time to prepare."

"You mean you wear lying downstairs!" Amelia accused.

"Not to you, your…Amelia. I was lying so that the spy would give false information to his faction. That way, they will be so busy preparing for us to attack tomorrow, they will not notice us tonight." Amelia agreed to the plan and they started preparations.

* * *

Just on the outskirts of town, Sirus met up with Amelia. Sirus had discarded his orange tunic, leaving only his dark blue clothes. Amelia had difficulty finding something dark to wear, since her entire wardrobe was white, but Sirus took some of his older clothes and fashioned a simple but nice dress for Amelia. It too, was dark blue. Together they walked out into the woods, giving the best of luck to the villagers who had started to dig. Once out in the woods, Sirus cast a Light spell to guide them. They walked along until they stumbled across a narrow path. Sirus suggested they follow it.

The path went for quite a while when a harsh voice cut through the silence.

"Who's there?" it demanded.

"Hello. How do you do," Sirus said politely. "I am Siros, a student of chimeras. I know a little bit and I heard there was a chimera research program near here that I could learn from. They are well known for their success."

"Of course we are," the voice replied arrogantly, but not very quietly. "Who's the girl?"

Sirus quickly put his hand on Amelia's mouth. "Alas, this is my little sister, Ameria. She was born without speech and I see it as my duty to look after her."

"Well, get out of here!" the voice said. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"Very well then," Sirus said. "There seems to be a town over there, so I shall go ask them about it."

"WAIT!"

"Yes?"

"Don't go to that town!"

"Then you do know where this research lab is?" There was a grumble and a grunt. A large gruffly looking man who was extremely unkempt stepped into the light.

"Follow me."

"Why thank you!" Sirus took Amelia's hand and guided her. After an hour of walking, they came across some sort of ruined temple. The gruffy man walked boldly to the door and grunted some sort of password. Sirus jogged to keep up with the gruffy man's pace, Amelia right behind him. Sirus had keen eyesight after living in a cave for several years, so he was able to dodge and sidestep all the roots and rocks in his path. He forgot that Amelia didn't have this eyesight. She gasped as she tripped on a root sticking up from the ground. Sirus had fast reactions however, and caught her before she landed.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded, but whispered in his ear, "My ankle's twisted."

"I shall take care of it when we are alone," he replied quietly. He carried her to where the gruffy man was waiting.

"What took you?"

"Gomenasai, good sir," Sirus apologized. "But my poor sister has twisted her ankle.

"Whatever. Come on." Sirus extinguished his light spell and followed the man inside.

"Yer sister can probably walk."

"As I said, I try to protect her. I am acquainted with some magic and shall cast a healing spell when we are alone," he replied. The gruffy man led them to a large library that looked like it was collecting dust for centuries.

"Yer first lesson in making chimeras is discipline." He gave them a bucket of water, some towels, and mops. "Clean up this place."

"Of course, sir," Sirus said. "You are the master, I am the pupil." The door slammed behind them. Amelia tried to say something, but Sirus shushed her. He cast another Light spell, setting Amelia down on a bench. "Let me look at that ankle," he said. He pushed her skirt up to just above her knees. He felt her ankle. He looked up to her. She was blushing.

"You should better take of those stockings before it swells too much," he said. Her blushing grew brighter. Sirus sat back and waited.

"T-t-turn around, Sirus-san," she managed.

"Why?" he asked, not understanding why she was suddenly so nervous.

"Just do it."

"Yes, your Highness." He turned around and waited for Amelia to say it was okay. Turning back to her, her face had reached a new shade of red. Sirus put her skirt up to above her knees again and looked at her ankle. He rolled up his sleeves and gently held her leg in one arm while examining her ankle with his other hand. He grabbed a towel and soaked it in the bucket of water provided. He then carefully wrapped it around her foot. Amelia's face was on fire. He cast a Recovery. "I do not want you on that foot to be on the safe side. It swelled more than I would prefer, but it was not broken." Amelia blushed brightly and looked at the mops, regaining her composure.

"I'm a princess! Not a maid!" she said angrily.

"But we must stay here, your Highness."

"I said don't call me 'your Highness'!"

"Of course, Amelia. But we must stay here nonetheless. You stay off that foot. I will try to clean up at least a little bit."

"But isn't this where we go and attack these vile villains and save the villagers?"

"No, Amelia. Right now, they have the advantage. The have us effectively trapped. But in the morning, when they are expecting us to attack, we will be able to sneak out of here and destroy their lab while they wait for someone to attack them."

"But can't we wait somewhere else? This place is filthy!"

"No, Amelia," Sirus said patiently. "We are new here and they will most likely send someone in to check on us periodically for the next few hours. I would guess that about two in the morning should be a good time for us to sneak out of hear. Then we can destroy the chimera lab."

"Speaking of chimeras, Sirus-san. You know so much about chimeras and seem fascinated by them. Why do you want to destroy this lab?"

"As you have said, it is evil. I am fascinated about the fact that mankind can create life, but I do not like the life that mankind creates. Chimeras have a bad habit of attacking people and being used to rule the world before they are put out of their misery. The same thing happened to Zelgadiss. Why do you think he is depressed all the time? His creator is dead and his purpose died with him. His programming dictated his purpose, and now he does not know what to do. That is why I do not like AIs. They are destroyed intellectually simply by destroying their master."

Amelia decided not to argue that Zelgadiss wasn't an AI. The hours crept by and the moon's light slowly started to filter into the library. Sirus took another look at Amelia's ankle. She was able to walk and run on it. Sirus broke the mops and piled some dusty books on them. When he was done, it appeared that the books had fallen and snapped the mops.

"What are you doing, Sirus-san?"

"When we go sneaking, if someone should find us, we can simply say that our mops broke and we are looking for new ones."

"Oh. That sounds like a brilliant plan!" She stood on a bench. "Now let us go forth and hinder these misguided souls so that the townspeople have time to prepare!"

They silently opened the door and slipped out of the library. Sirus led Amelia down the halls, hiding when chimeras and goons walked by.

"Why are we hiding?" Amelia demanded quietly.

"Because it will not do any good to attack them now. They have strength in numbers. If we get to the chimeric lab where they create these poor creatures, we can really throw a monkey wrench into their plans." They came to a choice of three halls.

"Now which way do we go?"

Sirus stepped in front of Amelia and focused on his staff. He heard their silent ringing The wood shook slightly in his hand.

"To the left," he said confidently.

"How do you know that?"

"This staff has been handed down my family for generations. Though it is not quite as old as the book I gave Lina. The wood will never wear and with the proper training in white magic, specifically offensive, it will give you a sense of where you need to be. That is how I was finally able to find Lina."

"Then let's go!" It was not long before they ran into a large and chubby man as unkempt as the rest of the people in the ruins.

"What are you doing?" the chubby man demanded.

"I am sorry for running into you," Sirus said bowing. "I am Siros, a new student here, and this is my sister, Ameria. We were learning discipline by cleaning the library when the books fell and broke our mops. We are looking for new ones."

"They stuck you in there?" he grunted.

"Hai. Now would you be so kind as to guide us to where we can find some new mops?"

The man grunted a few directions. Sirus thanked him and they went on their way, getting closer and closer to the chimera lab. Taking another turn, they ran across another man. Unfortunately, it must have been the man from the restaurant. He recognized them.

"Hey! How'd you get in here!" he demanded, a Fireball in his hand.

"Oh, it was not really all that difficult," Sirus said. "You failed in your task as spy. You did not describe us to your partners in crime here." The man started to pale.

"I, Amelia of Sailoon, shall punish you and your vile brethren and restore peace to the tiny village that you haunt!" She got her own spell in hand. "Diem Wind!" The man was blow to a wall and knocked unconscious.

"Well done, Amelia," Sirus said applauding. "I could not have done better myself."

"Domo Arigatoo! Sirus-san!" Not fully realizing what she was doing, she jumped up and hugged Sirus. He hugged back, like he would do with his family. She pulled away.

"Gomenasai," she apologized. Her cheeks were bright red. "I should not have done that."

"Then, shall we go do some mischief?"

Using his staff, Sirus guided Amelia through the maze of the ruins until they reached a large room with stasis chambers that contained the unborn chimeras.

"Amelia, could you please hold off our enemy?" he asked.

"Of course, but they don't know where we are!"

"They will in a moment." Sirus went to the control panel. With a few spells and incantations, several small orbs appeared. With the speed of a panther, and the accuracy of an archer, Sirus started to twist and turn certain orbs at precise angles and directions. Sure enough, an alarm sounded. "Here they come, Amelia!'

"What did you do, Sirus-san?"

Without breaking stride, he continued to move the orbs precisely while he explained. "I am reprogramming these chimeras. I shall speed up their maturation and give them an irresistible need to seek out and go under water. They'll put themselves out of their misery." His hands continued to fly.

Amelia did a very good job of fending off attackers. Her spells were fast and furious, along with her speeches. Sirus wanted to get out of their quickly, however. Since chimeras had been placed on guard duty, it was likely that they were going to have a hard time getting out, and he wanted to leave while there was still confusion about what was going on. Turning one last sphere, he switched it with another orb. The giant stasis chambers opened, releasing the chimeras. He ran over to Amelia.

"We have finished here, Amelia-chan," he said. Wait, did her really say 'chan'? Why did that feel so right? Amelia seemed to notice as well, since her blush was going up to the roots of her hair. Both of them pushed it aside and started to fight their way out. Sirus's heart sank as he realized that he took too long. The first few rays of the sun started to peak through cracks in the ceiling. Something told him that they had to be out of the ruins by daybreak. He took Amelia's hand and flew over the heads of their attackers.

He didn't stop until they were outside and he gently let Amelia down. "Amelia-chan," he said. Did he just say 'chan' again? _Note to self. Soul searching later._ "We will most likely be chased all the way to the village. Thankfully, the chimeras will more or less destroy themselves and we have stronger magic than the guild faction. Do you wish to face the faction here, or at the town?"

Amelia looked at him dumbfounded. "I have to make an important decision?" she whispered.

"Yes, your Highness." She fumble with words. Sirus glanced at the ruins to see several of the guild faction coming to them. One of them had a powerful spell in hand. Very powerful. Not even thinking of a protection spell, Sirus shoved Amelia aside, taking it head on. He was briefly aware of his name being called before he fell unconscious.

"SIRUS!"

* * *

Amelia watched Sirus fly backward until he hit a tree, finally slumping down. His clothes were charred, his face was covered in smoke and blood that dripped down from his forehead. Sirus was dead, he had to be. He was killed trying to save her! What had she done? She couldn't loose Sirus! Wait a minute. She referred to him as Sirus and not Sirus-san. What did that mean? What was this feeling that was emerging from her when she thought of that innocent sorcerer? If it was love, then why didn't she feel this way for Zelgadiss-san? What was it about Sirus that stirred her up so much?

All of these thoughts ran through her head in an instant. She turned slowly to the rogue guild faction. Tears streamed down her cheeks. The stopped in their tracks.

"I am Amelia Wil Tesa Sailoon," she said. "I am the Hammer of Justice that protects all who are innocent." She glanced at Sirus. "I crush all evil that comes before me. I follow the path of righteousness and honor. You," she pointed to them. "You are going to experience first hand the power of all that is light and good. You will be blinded and forced to live in the perpetual darkness that your souls dwell in. You hurt the man I love. You _will_ be stopped." There must have been some sort of aura around her like Zelgadiss-san got when he was pissed. The guild faction started to turn and run. Amelia didn't give them much of a chance.

"Blast Ash!" She released the spell. It did its work quickly and efficiently. The ruins blew up, sending a large ball of fire into the sky. Did she really say love? She ran over to Sirus, covering his body with her own and cast a quick shield spell. When the explosion was over, she sat up beside Sirus. "I'm sorry you got hurt," she whispered. "I'm sorry you died because of me." In response, Sirus coughed up some smoke.

"Sirus!" Amelia cast a recovery spell. Seeing that she would probably need Fillia-san's help, she put Sirus and herself into a Ray Wing bubble, heading to the town. She saw that the chimeras were running towards the peaceful village, but the trenches filled with water put an end to them. She set down Sirus carefully as the sun finally broke away from the horizon to start its day long journey. Walking over to her, the guild director shouted congratulations on such a stunning plan. They were soon interrupted.

"AMELIA, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!"   


Go to Part Ten-Journey's Destination


	10. Journey's Destination 1

**Part TenJourney's Destination**

* * *

Lina's head slipped down and just before she lost her balance, she caught herself, waking up. Looking down, she saw that she was leaning back in her seat with a blanket around her. _Damn it! Someone must have seen us!_ As soon as she thought it, however, she realized that she really didn't care who saw her with Zel. There was something about the Mazu Slave she had cast before that gave her peace when she was with Zelgadiss. Before she cast the Mazu Slave, she felt right around Zelgadiss. Safe and secure. Now that peace she had felt briefly came back to life when he was near.

Lina got up from her seat and sat on Zel's bed, resting her head on his bare chest. She could hear his hear beating and his skin was warm. Soft footsteps went by their door.

"Come, Amelia," said a voice. It sounded like Sirus. "We can sneak into the faction tonight."

"And justice will be served!" the princess replied enthusiastically. Lina couldn't help but smile. Those two were a perfect match. The Hammer of Justice went along well with the Man of Innocence. She listened to them leave and then snuggled up against Zel again. It felt so right to be by his side. She started to doze again when she was suddenly flung to the floor as Zelgadiss woke up with a start. Lina groaned on the floor. A part of her wanted to get up and Fireball him, but she just wasn't angry. She felt concern. She poked her head up from the foot of the bed.

"So what was the dream about?" she asked. Zel, who was only in his boxers, stared at her.

"Lina?"

"Yup. It's about time you woke up."

"What...aren't you going to Fireball me?"

"Nope. You've been through enough with Copy Rezo, so I'm going to refrain from beating you." She paused for a moment. "Even if you deserve it," she smiled. Standing up, she took her seat on his bed again. "So what was so bad about that dream?"

Zelgadiss stared blankly off into space. "I saw myself being turned into a chimera again. Eris was standing over me with Rezo and Shabranigdo. I saw myself at Rezo's Tower when he took control of me and forced me to attack you and the others." A small tear slid down his face. "Normally, the dream stops there, but this time, it continued. I saw Kotowa and Copy Rezo. Both were controlling me when I..lost..you." Zelgadiss blinked, acting as if he wished he hadn't said anything.

"Well well well, Zel!" Lina said, patting him on the shoulder. "So you _do_ have a heart!" He glanced at her. "You always go around acting like you're the stone monster you think you are, but you're just fooling yourself. Congratulations, you've just taken the first step to accepting that you're not such a bad guy." Lina didn't know where this was coming from, but she had a sneaking suspicion that the energy she released with the Mazu Slave had something to do with it.

"So what have I missed?" he asked. Lina filled him in on what had been happening the last three days. She glossed over the mind playing that happened to Amelia and Gourry, saying they had to fight their past like he did.

"So we have a plan for going after Drrael. It's a long shot, but it might work," she concluded.

"I see." Zelgadiss sighed and leaned back against the headboard. Lina decided to do something a little bold and leaned up against his chest like she did before. Zel didn't seem to mind and rested his chin on top her red hair. They stayed like that for a while. Lina's thoughts drifted back to when they had kissed. She had wanted to continue that conversation for some time, but had never gotten the chance. Now seemed like a good time and deep down, a peaceful part of her said to do it. Her more rational part said she couldn't do that because her reputation would be ruined if she thought of settling down. Lina agreed that she didn't want to settle down, but she also agreed that she really did feel for Zelgadiss in ways that were very rare to have. These feelings were meant to be cherished. She told her collective mind to shut up.

Zel's arms snaked around her waist and she held his hands close. She was grateful that her shoulder guards, cape and sword where left in her room. It made things all the more comfortable. The sat like that a while longer. The moon shined brightly, giving everything a gentle glow. The two parts of her that had been arguing seemed to quiet down and observe the soft light. In that moment, the peaceful side of Lina that had only come into existence after the Mazu Slave, took control. It explained, in calm clear terms that Zelgadiss was the man that Lina wanted to spend her life with. Lina agreed. So if she wanted to spend her life with one man, she could afford to be impulsive with him. Lina agreed. Besides, no one ever said anything about settling down in order to spend your life with someone. Lina agreed.

She and Zel continued to stay still for a while. It just felt good. Lina decided that just feelings weren't enough. It was time to make a commitment. The peaceful side of her agreed. She turned to Zelgadiss, who brought a hand up to brush some hair from her face. His hand caressed her skin gently. Lina knew it was definitely time. She moved her face closer to his. She could almost hear his heart pounding as she delivered a kiss that would stop most other hearts. She finally pulled away. Normally, she imagined she'd be out of breath, but somehow, that peaceful side of her kept her calm.

"Do you?" Zel asked quietly.

"I do."

"But, I'm...I'm"

"Who cares what you look like?" she asked quietly. She could not get angry or frustrated at all. Instead, she explained herself calmly. "All that matters at this very moment is that there are only two of us. If someone has a problem with the commitment I want to make to you right now, they can take it up with me. Now kiss me." Her tone was both commanding and childish. She managed to balance the fact that she wished he would just hurry up with the fact that she understood that he was always afraid.

Zel looked at her, obviously unsure of the peaceful side of Lina that was in control. "Zel," she said pulling his head closer to hers. "Just trust me."

"I do." They're lips came together gently. Lina wanted Zel to set the pace. She had been ready for a long time. She could wait a little longer. As Zel started to intensify the kiss, a sort of understanding passed between them. Lina understood that Zelgadiss' fear had nothing to do with what other people thought. Well not really. It was a fear that he would hurt her. Zelgadiss suddenly understood the peace that Lina felt. He came to share it.

Lina pulled away gently, reaching for the buttons to her shirt. Zel pulled her hands away and did it for her. In an agonizingly slow pace, he undid one button at a time. With each movement, his nimble fingers gently caressed her skin, tickling her. He started to put his hands onto her shoulders, under her shirt to get it off. A wave of modesty fell over Lina. Even though the peaceful side of her said it was silly, she felt embarrassed that she was so small. Zelgadiss kissed her again. Another understanding seemed to pass as their lips met. Lina understood that Zelgadiss felt just as strongly towards her as she did to him. Zelgadiss understood that Lina saw this as a commitment and not just something for a moment's pleasure.

Zelgadiss moved his hands over her shoulders and Lina's shirt fell to the ground. Her chest was now bare in front of him. In that same kiss, Zelgadiss also understood that Lina was feeling modest. He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.

"They're not to small, Lina-chan," he whispered. "They're just perfect for who you are."

"And who am I?"

"The Beauty, who fell in love with the Beast."

Bet you thought we'd describe it didn't you? Sorry! But you get the idea. There's no need to go any further.

* * *

The next morning, Zelgadiss awoke very content. Even though he probably only had a few hours sleep, he could not help but smile. Currently in his arms was Lina. Though he didn't know what possessed him to actually do what he did, he was glad that it happened. He was now committed to Lina, body and soul and he believed she was to him as well. It didn't matter that they were going to have to fight Drrael soon. Somehow, everything was going to be alright. The peace that Lina had infected him with last night was overwhelming, and welcome. Zel gently kissed Lina's neck.

_Program Rezo?_ he called softly.

_>Yes? Oh my, Program Rezo gasped. __>Give me all the details!_

Back off.

>Sorry. Old habits you know.

Old is debatable.

>So what do you wish of me?

Zelgadiss hesitated a moment, but asked anyway. _What did Rezo really want from me?_

There was a very long pause. Zel wondered briefly if Program Rezo had left, but pushed the thought aside. It wasn't in Program Rezo's personality.

_>All I know is this, Program Rezo finally replied. __>Rezo programmed me to think and act like he would have if he didn't have Shabranigdo inside of him. I know that I want you to be happy. I may joke about continuing the bloodline, but that's just a load of bull. If you're happy, then I don't need anything else._

Then why did you attack Lina when you first "woke up"?

>Because when I was finally activated, I scanned your memories. I didn't look into them thoroughly. All I saw was the death of both Rezo and Copy Rezo. Needless to say that infuriated me. It was like you killed me twice. It wasn't until I understood you had feelings for Lina did I do a more in depth scan. I am sorry for what I did.

I think I understand. Zel paused a moment. _Is there a cure for me?_ Program Rezo was silent for a long time.

_>No, I don't think so. Though Rezo did all of the programming on you, it was Shabranigdo who guided Eris in making your body. Gomenasai._

Zelgadiss sighed mournfully. _Thank you._ Program Rezo returned to his sleep. Zelgadiss held Lina a little closer. Though he tried to stop it, a small tear fell into her red tresses. He could never go back to the way he was before. He could never have that weak, but gentle body he was born with. He could never give to Lina without the fear of hurting her. He could never have peace.

Almost as soon as the thought manifested itself, he glanced at Lina and the peace she had the previous night infected him again. She was beautiful in the gray light before dawn. He gently caressed her cheek. In the room next to his, he could hear people starting to get up. He looked at Lina again. _She probably doesn't want to be discovered just yet._

Zelgadiss delicately kissed Lina's neck, then got up. After dressing himself, he dressed Lina, being very careful not to wake her. She needed her sleep if they were going to fight Drrael. And they were going to fight soon. Zelgadiss could feel it.

Lifting her light frame into his arms, he went to the balcony of his room. The horizon was starting to lighten in anticipation of the coming sun. Two doors down was Lina's room, from what she had said, so he jumped over to her balcony. A small unlock spell got them into her room. He gently lay her in her bed, pulling the sheets up to her chin. He kissed her forehead and went back to his room.

He poured a cup of water, added some herbs, and with a small fire spell warmed it into a cup of tea. Sipping it, he looked out to the sky. The horizon was starting to turn into a pale blue, though the sun had not yet made an appearance. Clouds drifted by at a leisurely pace, one side being a dull purple from the night that slipped away, the other side being brought afire in pink and yellow as the light from the sun shined, even though the sun hadn't woken up. It was the fiery colors that made Zel smile, thinking of Lina.

What had happened last night was definitely not something to be done for a moment. It was a way of making a commitment to each other that they would always be there for each other.

His quiet contemplations were interrupted by a light knock on the door.

"Who is it?" he asked softly, knowing that most of the people in the inn were probably asleep.

"Fillia." Getting up, he opened the door and offered her a cup of tea. She declined.

"Thank goodness you're finally awake!" she said. "Rezo said that it would take three days before you would be able to wake up, but when yesterday came and went, we started to get worried."

"I woke up shortly before midnight," he replied. "There wasn't much to do, so I just rested a while. Are you sure you don't want some tea? It's not as good as yours, but it's the best I can do right now."

"Are you sure you're alright Zelgadiss-san?" she asked. "You don't seem to be acting like yourself."

Zel considered it for a moment. She was right. He didn't normally offer tea and act so hospitable. Somewhere deep inside, the peaceful part of Lina spoke up. Only it felt more like a peaceful part of him. Could he really have peace?

"I'm fine," he answered quietly. "While I was unconscious, I did some soul searching. If I'm different, it's because I found parts of myself I didn't like, so I changed them." In a manner of speaking that was true. Only it wasn't while he was out that this happened. In an odd way, it had happened while he committed himself to Lina. He wasn't really the same person he was when he woke up. It didn't bug him though. It seemed better. And maybe like how he was supposed to be.

"Zelgadiss-san," Fillia said. "I'm worried about Amelia and Gourry."

"Oh?" Fillia went into a bit more detail than Lina did about what happened to them.

"You mean Amelia was..." he couldn't finish it Fillia nodded. "I guess that explains a lot about her justice attitude," he whispered. "How's Gourry doing?"

"He won't come out of his room. I'm worried about him." There was something else that seemed to be bothering her.

"And?" he pried

"And Xellos is scared. He feels useless in the upcoming battle."

"I see."

Fillia started to say something when the inn was rocked by an explosion. Pulling up his hood and mask, Zel and Fillia ran to his balcony. Off in the distance a large fireball mushroomed in the sky. At the edge of town, several of its citizens were scurrying about.

"Come on!" Fillia said, starting to fly. Zelgadiss followed.

* * *

Xellos was knocked off balance by the explosion. He had been in his room, thinking about their battle plan, trying some way to find out if he could be more than just some transportation boy. He felt so useless. Running to his balcony, he saw Zelgadiss and Fillia start to fly off. Slamming his staff to the ground, he followed.

* * *

Gourry shot up out of bed, already drawing his sword. Dashing to the balcony, he saw Zelgadiss and Fillia fly by heading to the edge of town. Going back into his room, he quickly put on his armor. He looked down to his sword briefly. _This damn sword is covered in blood. Do I really want to wield it?_ Running back to the balcony, he jumped down to the street below and raced to the crowd at the edge of town.

* * *

Lina was faintly aware of the fact that the room shook and that there was a large boom in the distance. Yawning, she rolled over to hold onto Zel. Needless to say, she was very surprised when she landed on the floor. Now fully awake, she looked around. She was dressed and in her room. She stood up and walked around her room in shock. _Was last night a dream?_ Lina reviewed some of the finer parts of the previous night in her head. _Nope. No way that could have been a dream._ Lina was very pleased with that night. She had discovered that both she and Zelgadiss were _very_ creative and neither wanted to be confined to just a bed.

Putting on her shoulder guards and cape, Lina grabbed her sword and went to the balcony. Looking over, she was surprised when Gourry came running out of his room and jumped down the street in full armor. Looking to where he was going, she saw a large ploom of smoke in the distance and a large crowd where Zelgadiss and Fillia were landing. Casting Levitation, Lina went over to the crowd. Xellos was already there and Gourry was just coming down the street.

Lina wasn't very happy. She had been woken up from a very nice dream (which was also a partial reality) and she didn't even have a chance for breakfast. There seemed to be a rather important looking man who was trying to guide the crowd in digging a ditch. Lina grabbed his ear and pulled it close to her mouth.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU GET US UP AT THIS UNGODLY HOUR!" she demanded politely.

The old man proceeded to explain about some law made back during the Kouma War forbidding chimeras (Zel pulled his hood down lower) and that some rogue faction of the rather weak local magic guild starting making chimeras and that the Holy Princess of Sailoon along with some man...Lina interrupted him at that point.

"You mean to tell me that Amelia and Sirus went off to tackle them?" she yelled. He nodded. _Well that explains their sneaking off last night._

"Yes, they went to exterminate every last one of those horrid beasts, the chimeras," the guild director said.

Zelgadiss started to sneak away from the crowd. The director turned to him. "You needn't worry, chimera," he said loftily. "We are not like you monsters. We saw that you were injured and we let your cohorts here have the chance to heal you. Why the Holy Hammer of Justice keeps you in company is beyond me. She must see you as some sort of pet."

"You knew what I was?" Zel whispered.

"That purple haired man didn't do much to hide you. He and the others were more concerned with healing you than with hiding you."

Xellos was suddenly on the ground with Zelgadiss standing above him. "Oh excuse me, I'm so sorry about that," he said acidly.

Zelgadiss was suddenly on the ground with Fillia standing above him. "He is human!"

Lina turned to give the guild director a piece of her mind only to find that he wasn't there. He was approaching Amelia with loud congratulations. Lina cut him off.

"AMELIA, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!" Amelia stepped back in shock. At her feet lay Sirus, seriously burned and coughing harshly. Fillia rushed over and started to heal him. The minutes inched by as everyone grew silent. The crowd gathered round, all wanting to make sure that Sirus, one of the two heroes who saved their town, was safe. Finally, his pale blue eyes fluttered open.

"Amelia-chan?" he said quietly, sitting up. "Amelia are you all right?"

"Hai, Sirus!" she said. "You're brilliant plan went perfectly and I blew up the chimera lab so that no one else can.."

"Lab?" Zelgadiss repeated. "You blew up a lab? Do you realize that a book in that lab might have contained my cure!" he shouted. Xellos immediately grabbed onto Zel's waist while Fillia pulled on Zel's cape. Lina stepped in front of Zel and tried to hold him back. Despite all this, he slowly inched his way forward.

"Demo," Sirus said. "But you are just an Artificial Intelligence. You can not have cure." All parties except Sirus went chibi. Sirus was just impossible to talk to sometimes. After several moments of chibis running around trying to hurt Sirus, Zel went back to normal and sighed mournfully.

"It doesn't really matter," he said quietly. "Even knowing there is no cure, I jump when a possibility arises." Lina wanted to answer that, but someone in the crowd caught their attention.

"LOOK!" Everyone turned to see an army of chimeras heading their way. Lina and company got a variety of spells ready.

"Stop!" Sirus shouted. "Stand away from the ditch. Zelgadiss, fill it with water." Zel glared at him, but called upon a water spell and the ditch, which looked more like a mote now, was ready. As the chimeras approached, they did nothing to attack. They just dove into the water which ended up their graves.

The guild director turned to Sirus in admiration. "How did you do that?"

"Books are my passion and I've seen several on chimeras and how they are made. It was an easy task of reprogramming them to love water and seek it out." Cheers arose in the crowd.

* * *

That evening, after an impromptu feast in honor of the Holy Princess of Sailoon, and her Companion of Justice, Sirus and Zelgadiss were arguing about Zel's humanity again.

"Sirus, I was human for the first eighteen years of my life. I am human, at least in part, now!"

"No you are not."

"I have human feelings, thoughts, emotions, memories. Programming can't replace those."

"No, programming can not, but the corpse you were made from had those qualities that you hold so dear as human."

"You mean Rezo killed me, his own descendant, in order to make me into this form?"

"No he did not. A body has to die a natural death in order to be used to become a chimera. Otherwise, the same things that caused death in life, such as bleeding, would kill it again when the body was resurrected in a chimeric form."

"But why.."

"So basically, looking for a 'cure' is self defeating. By searching for some way to be human again, you are merely searching for some way to die and revert back to the corpse you were."

Lina sighed. There was just no talking with Sirus sometimes. Zelgadiss leaned back in defeat and sighed.

"It doesn't really matter," he muttered quietly. "There is no cure for me out there." Lina, along with the rest of the table gasped.

"There must be one!" Fillia said.

Zel sipped his tea. "I had a long talk with Program Rezo this morning. There is none."

"But," Xellos said. "You must keep trying!" Lina was slightly surprised at the compassion in his voice, but she pushed it aside and focused on Zel.

"Rezo was the one who tried to keep me normal in the programming he did. That's one of the reasons why he gave me Program Rezo. To keep me sane. Shabranigdo, on the other hand, was in complete control when he and Eris collaborated on my body. He wanted to make sure that I was his personal meal. In order for me to suffer, he made sure there was no cure out there." He let loose another long sigh. "It's been a long day and tomorrow we're going out after Drrael. I'm going to bed." Taking one last sip of his tea, he got up and went upstairs.

The table was quiet for several minutes, despite all the celebrating going on around them. Lina looked at Zel's door. Finding out there was no cure must have been one of the greatest disappointments in his life. Lina wanted to help him get through it. She stood up and headed to the stairs.

"Wait, Lina-san!" Amelia called. "Shouldn't he be alone right now?"

"We're going to need him in good fighting condition when we face Drrael. The same goes for Gourry, but I can't talk to him without yelling." Several eyes turned to Gourry, who had been unusually quiet all day. Currently, he was looking intently at his sword.

Lina opened Zel's door and found him with his chair pulled out on the balcony. He was starring up at the sky which glittered with stars.

"Gomenasai, Lina-chan," he whispered.

"Why?"

"Because you can't show me off."

"Face it Lina," he said quietly. "You like to show off what you can do. That's one of the reasons you always threaten people with a Dragu Slave and why you always grab gold. You like to show off what you have. You can't show me off because crowds and I don't mix."

Lina wanted to hit him, but she understood that it wouldn't help matters much. She pulled a chair up next to him. "I don't suppose saying 'It doesn't matter to me,' is going to help much, is it?" she asked.

"You can't change who you are. I love you for it, but I'm sorry I can't be shown off."

"Look, Zel," she said, snuggling to his shoulder. "When I cast the Mazu Slave, the spell backfired on me after it killed Kotowa. When it hit, it healed me and gave me something. It gave me a sense of what peace is." Zel's arm slipped around her waist. "Lately, that peace has been telling me what to do. I'm still the same person, but I don't want to show off anymore."

"Did you realize that your peace is infectious?" Zel asked. Lina looked quizzically up to him. "I don't think I would have done that last night if I didn't feel this overwhelming peace. You gave part of it to me. Domo arigatoo."

"My pleasure." They sat together looking up at the sky. Both were content to just stay like that, with nothing needed to be said. Nothing but one thing.

Zelgadiss turned to Lina. "We're going to be on Drrael's doorstep by the end of the week," he said. "I can feel that presence. It's overwhelming. He could give L-sama a good fight if he wanted to, I think. He _is_, however, scared of The Golden Eye Lord. I can feel defenses that he has put up, but I don't know what they are. It's not much, but it's something."

"Give L-sama a good fight? Oh crap." Lina looked out the window to the moon and prayed that they could win the upcoming battle. She got up and went to the door. "You coming Zel?"

Zelgadiss sighed, but stood up, pulling his hood back over his face. "Yes, I think I will." The left together. Unseen, a golden comet flew by the moon.

* * *

Once they got downstairs, Lina was confronted by Gourry. He was holding out his sword for her to take.

"Huh?"

"Take it," Gourry said. "You've always wanted it, and now you can have it with my blessings."

"He's been trying to give it to anyone who walks by," Xellos said.

Fillia added, "He refuses to fight in the upcoming battle."

"I want a normal life," Gourry replied in a weary voice. Zelgadiss scoffed.

"Normal? How?" he demanded.

"Normal with a wife, maybe children," Gourry countered.

"When Drrael is done with this world," Zel said coldly, "there won't be any women left to marry."

Gourry sighed. "Maybe I should go and find Vulun then." Several faces hit the floor.

"Gourry, you idiot," Zel said. "Drreal will kill _everyone_ and everything, just to satisfy his endless hunger! He'll even kill you!"

"You fight him, Lina," Gourry responded, turning to her. "You can beat him, just like you've beaten everyone else."

"Gourry, have you been listening to the plan we so carefully made?" Lina demanded. "We need you to fight with us!"

"I can't," Gourry whispered. "I just can't." Gourry went up to his room, leaving everyone baffled.

"Where did this come from?" Amelia asked.   


Ack! To long!


	11. Journey's Destination 2

The following day, they were once more on the trail that would lead them to Drrael. Fillia noticed that Zelgadiss was extremely tense, adjusting his course by a few degrees every so often. Gourry was with them, though begrudgingly. He only agreed to come after Lina threatened to treat him just like she would treat Drrael. Lina and Amelia both had spells in their hands, ready to go, and Xellos and Sirus had their staffs ready. Fillia herself was ready to turn into a golden dragon at any moment. They continued their stealthy pace through the woods, always on guard. They walked, almost jogged all day until the sun finally started to set. The decided to make camp.

Zel turned to the group. "We should get there by tomorrow night," he said quietly. They all nodded, knowing that tomorrow was going to be the day they would decide the world's fate, again. Everyone, but Gourry, who sighed, sounding very indifferent to whether he lived or died. Fillia got supper in silence and handed it out to everyone. Zelgadiss, however, passed.

"You're not going to eat?" Lina asked.

"I am far to nervous," he replied. "I don't think I could keep anything down."

"I still have some herbal tea," Fillia suggested. "I could make some to help you all get to sleep." Everyone looked at her with puppy dog eyes, except for Gourry. She made a large batch of her tea and everyone had several cups. After finishing his last cup, Zelgadiss curled up under his bedroll. He was asleep almost instantly. A few minutes later, Xellos was setting up his own bedroll. He stopped, however, and looked up.

"Who's going to take first watch tonight?" he asked. Everyone seemed to groan. After all, they had several cups of tea.

"I will," Fillia volunteered. Xellos nodded and slipped into his roll, Amelia following suit. About a half hour later, Sirus set up his bedroll, almost next to Amelia. Lina and Fillia continued to talk about the following day until Lina finally started to nod off. Fillia suggested she get into bed. Lina shrugged and curled up with Zel in his roll. Fillia stared in shock. She knew Lina was tired, but she had no idea what posed Lina to go to bed with Zelgadiss. True, they seemed to like each other but that? Fillia turned away, trying to fight the blush that was coming to her cheeks.

When she turned, Gourry was brought into her line of sight. He had been quiet all through dinner, not even bothering to fight Lina for his food and he barely had any of her tea. Gourry was leaning by a tree, staring up to the night's sky.

"All right, Gourry," she said. "We can talk now."

"Talk about what?"

"Why do you want to give away your heritage, the Sword of Light?"

Gourry's voice was scarcely a whisper. "It killed him."

"Him?" Silence was her only answer. "Very well then, I am going to make some guesses. Correct me if I am wrong." Gourry merely looked down. "I'll take that as an okay. Now then, you said 'him' so I'm going to assume this has something to do with your brother." Gourry glared at her briefly, but went back to looking down. Fillia took that to mean she was on the right track. "I was busy at the time, but I did hear some of those psychological taunts Kotowa was throwing at your. Apparently your family had some high expectations of you." Gourry did nothing. "Or you wanted to be just like your brother but couldn't quite make it, is that it?" He glared at her again, his eyes throwing daggers. "So I am right. Good. He appeared to be your idol, but at some point you had to chose between the Sword and him." Gourry looked away from her. He was hitting it very close to home. "Your brother is older than you, I noticed. So he was obviously the one who would inherit the sword, not you. But the sword killed him. How?"

He turned to her, eyes shimmering in the fire light. "Do you really want to know?" Gourry hissed. "It's not a pretty picture."

"Neither is life," Fillia countered. "Everyone does things that they regret. Myself included. But we still have to face the future. And tomorrow we have to decide if there is going to be a future or not." Gourry looked at her, sizing her up. Sighing, he stared of into the fire.

"When I was small," he started. "My brother had the Sword. I never questioned the fact that I would never get it, but I wanted to be a swordsman like Gorel. He helped to train me, even as he trained himself with the Sword of light. As the years went by, he became very proficient at it. One day, rumors started coming in that a neighboring town was being infested with Mazoku.

"He said his goodbyes to us and went off the fight them. We all thought he'd come back with a success story. It was several weeks before anyone from the village came back. All they had to say was that the Sword of Light would kill anyone who got in their path. I didn't understand what they meant, so one night I snuck out of my house to go to the town. I was only 10 and I carried my sword with me.

"The town was washed in blood and fire. I finally found Gorel on a hill. His eyes were pure white and he was laughing at the pain of the people below. I went up and asked 'What are you doing?' He turned to me and with a chilled voice responded, 'Killing. Why?'

"'Why are you killing the people you came her to protect?' I asked him. He said he was doing as the Mazoku ordered him to. I asked him why again and he said that I would die. He attacked me. We fought for a few minutes, but he had more skill than me. I was loosing. I was on the ground without any weapons and he was coming at me. I somehow managed to kick the Sword of Light from his hands. We both scrambled for it.

"Somehow I got to it first. The blade came to life in my hands and I rolled onto my back. No sooner had I done that, than did my brother, my idol fall onto the Sword, letting it go right through him. His last words were 'That was the right choice.' Shortly after that was when I ran away from home."

Fillia sat speechless for a long time. She had know that Gourry didn't like to talk of his past, but she had no idea that it was so painful. As Gourry continued to stare into the fire, a small tear slid down his face.

"This sword brings only blood. I wash my hands of it."

"But, your brother wanted you with the Sword of Light, that is why he killed himself." Gourry looked to her in shock. "He obviously didn't want to be controlled by the Mazoku, so he used what control he had left to commit suicide. He must have known what was coming because he trained you when you were young. He fell on his sword to free himself." Gourry mulled it over in his head. Fillia, however, knew she was right. She had rarely been so sure about something. It was almost as if she could see into Gorel's mind and know what he was thinking on that day.

"Maybe," Gourry admitted begrudgingly. He had blamed himself for over 15 years for Gorel's death. Though what Fillia said obviously told him he had some rethinking to do, it was going to be hard to overcome 15 years of guilt.

"Good," Fillia said. "Now that that problem has been taken care of, let's try the second one you have." Gourry glared at Fillia again.

"And what problem would that be?" he asked innocently.

"Your brother explains why you want to be rid of the Sword of Light, but not why you refuse to fight and don't care weather you live or die." Gourry looked up to the stars again.

"I promised that I'd be there, never leave, and protect. I failed."

"Gourry, it _is_ okay to grieve for Sylphiel." Gourry looked at her, tears coming freshly to his eyes. He finally broke down and cried, grieving for the two people he loved most in the world.

* * *

The following day, Gourry was much better. Of course, the only way to tell was the fact that he was on guard just like everyone else. Xellos wondered what had happened that night to make Gourry change. He had asked Fillia, and all she said was that Gourry felt things he hadn't let himself feel. Xellos questioned that. Though he hadn't been human all that long, he found that he could not deny feelings when they came to him. It was impossible to push them back down. All he could do was, sometimes, hide them from the others. How could Gourry be hiding feelings from himself?

The day went by slowly as anticipation grew. Zelgadiss had stated that today they would find Drrael's home for when he wasn't feeding on souls. Knowing that today they would finally face Drrael put everyone on edge. However, noon came and went, and no one bothered to stop for lunch. They couldn't stomach food because they were so nervous. Dusk slowly approached and Xellos wondered if they _would_ get to Drrael by the end of they day. They continued on.

Finally, a few minutes before the last rays of sunshine disappeared over the horizon, Zelgadiss stopped, putting his hand up. "Found it," he said triumphantly. Amelia kept on walking as everyone else froze.

"But I don't see anything Zelga-" she was cut off as she walked into what looked like a wall, except nothing was there. "Itai.." Sirus was by her side in an instant, casting a healer's spell. Xellos walked up beside Zelgadiss and tentatively put his hand forward. Sure enough there was a barrier, invisible to the naked eye. It felt a little rough, but it was more or less flat and continuous. Slamming his staff to the ground, Xellos tried to teleport. He didn't get anywhere as some sort of shock went through his system. If he went anywhere, it was flying backwards.

Xellos opened his eyes an instant later. Fillia was over him, also casting a healing spell. Shaking to cobwebs from his head, Xellos sat up, watching Sirus study the shield.

"Very well then," Sirus muttered. He turned and faced everyone. "Miina, what we have here is very advanced shield. Its specialty is reflecting light so that it has an illusion of almost a mirror, but somehow, we are not reflected. It also repels teleportation, as Xellos-san I am sure can tell you."

"Yes," Xellos said acidly. "It repels very well." Sirus continued.

"So Gourry-san's sword is more or less useless against this thing."

"But we can't use magic against it," Xellos stated. Everyone turned to him surprised. "We're going to need all the energy we can get when we face Drrael. I don't want any of you using magic unnecessarily."

"Perhaps," Sirus said quietly. He was staring at the barrier pensively. "Perhaps we can use the Sword of Light after all." He knocked his hand against it. "Maybe with some sort of minor spell added to it, the Sword won't be entirely composed of Light and therefore be able to slice through. If it does have any effect at all, it will be fast and I doubt we will be able to repeat it. I think this barrier has some sort of adapting capability, so we shall have to be quick when we jump in."

"Okay then!" Lina shouted, rolling up imaginary sleeves. "Sirus, I want you to cast one of your white magic spells to Gourry's sword. Gourry, try to make as big a whole as you can."

"Right," they both said. The plan went off flawlessly. Just as Sirus predicted, they had only a few seconds to get inside, but they all managed it. Once inside, the hole behind them shut, immersing them in darkness.

"Alright," Lina said angrily off to one side, "I know it's night out, but what's with all the black?"

"Of course!" Sirus stated somewhere behind Xellos. "The barrier reflects light like a mirror. So no light gets inside of here. With no light getting through, there is no light in here."

"Then, how can we see what we're doing, Sirus?" Amelia asked. Xellos wondered briefly why she didn't use the -san she always did, but pushed the thought aside. They had work to do.

"Simple," Sirus replied. "Cast a light spell. The barrier should still reflect light so a few spells will light this place up in no time. Drrael knows we are coming and he must know we are here. There is no point in hiding."

Just about everyone cast a light spell, tossing them in opposite directions. Sure enough, the inside of the barrier reflected light and a large amount of space was lit up. About 120 kilometers by 120 kilometers by Xellos' calculations.

"Dear gods," someone whispered. Xellos found that to be an understatement. The place where they stood was not a luscious forest like they had just been in, but a vast rocky dessert. Everything was barren and colorless. It was like stepping into a world where no color existed.

"That bastard," Zel swore under his breath.

"What do you mean?" Fillia asked.

"Drrael feeds on souls and life energy. What he did was take the very life out of the earth itself. This is what the world will be like if we don't stop him." Xellos shuddered. It was an ugly thought. They proceeded away from the wall, looking everywhere across the barren wasteland for any signs of Drrael.

**"So thou hast finally come,"** a voice thundered. A large form towering over them appeared from the very air before them. The beast was horrible, and far uglier than Shabranigdo could ever be.

"Drrael..." Xellos cursed.   


Go to Part Eleven-It's Over, Right?


	12. It's Over, Right?

**Part Eleven It's Over, Right?**

* * *

Fillia went right into action, turning into a dragon. Behind her, she could hear Lina starting a Laugna Blade spell, while Zelgadiss and Amelia were throwing astral spells to keep him off the astral plane. Fillia flew up, seeing Sirus and Gourry rush forward to attack. She opened her mouth and fired her laser breath at Drrael. To her surprise, the beam reflected off his tough, scaly skin. Drrael turned to her.

**"You fool,"** Drrael roared. **If I can convert Mazoku wretches into lowly humans, dost not thou thinkest that I can perform the same task upon thee?"** Fillia's heart went cold. The full realization came crushing down on her as she remembered the condition that Xellos first came to them in. His broken and bloody body that could not heal was etched into her mind in one horrifying memory that gave her nightmares during their journey. She flew back, trying to escape Drrael's long arm which reached out to her.

**"Revert!"** he commanded. Pain blinded her as she felt her body condense into her human form. The pain did not end there, however, as she felt her tail push back inside of her. She tried to scream, but only brought up blood. Fillia was briefly aware of the fact that she was falling, but it did not register in her mind. She closed her eyes, feeling Drrael pulling at her soul.

**"Finally! I am once more restored unto mine former glory! No more must I devour bodies in order to leech out souls. Finally, I can pull souls as I wish without the hindrance of human flesh!"**

* * *

"FILLIA!" Xellos screamed. Sirus was slightly taken aback by how loud Xellos' voice was and how it carried so far. Sirus had been frozen in horror as Fillia bounced on the ground, once more human. Suddenly, Xellos was by her side, trying desperately to cast a Recovery. "No," Xellos whispered. "NOOO!" He held her head gently in his hands, crying out for all the world to hear.

Sirus turned to Drrael, the monster who should not have existed. Energy flowed around him as he started to chant an ancient white magic spell. The spell was extremely dangerous, and would probably kill him in the process, but Drrael would _not_ be allowed to escape. He would need time, though, in order to complete the spell. Thankfully, it was Xellos who provided it.

"Drrael," he shouted. "Do Mazoku have feelings?"

**"Why wouldst thou wish to know?** Drrael answered. Sirus continued to gather energy.

"The feelings I have for Fillia," Xellos continued, ignoring the tears that streamed down his face. "They have always been there, even when I was a Mazoku. Since you turned me into a human, the feelings have only intensified. DO MAZOKU HAVE FEELINGS?"

**"Thou art far more perceptive than Kotowa had given thee credit for, child,"** Drrael replied. Sirus continued the energy build. He tasted blood in his mouth, but continued the spell. **"When I was created by the energy Mother Golden Eye used to make thee and thy kind, I took with me the emotional block meant for thou. Whenever a creature is brought into the cursèd world of thine, it comes with instincts and emotions to guide or hinder it. For thee and thy Mazoku brethren, the Dragons that sore and the humans in this particular world, emotions are far more complicated than they are for the simple beast. I took the block with me to avoid any hindrance that mine emotions may cause. Thus I am free, but thou Mazoku cover thy feelings with the pain thou feedest upon. Thou art lucky, tiny Mazoku child. Thou canst feel stronger what thy brethren can not. Mother Golden Eye must have blest thee for another of her purposes for Chaos."**

Sirus could almost hear Xellos' beliefs shatter into pieces by the revelation that Drrael provided. He could feel Drrael getting ready to attack Xellos. Sirus would not allow it. _No one else will die today. Not if I have anything to say about it._

"Foul beast!" Sirus called. He slipped into the ancient speech Drrael seemed to like using. "Thou art, by far, the most malicious and vile Mazoku every faced by man. But knowest thou that thou canst not win in such a confrontation with champions of light?" Sirus smiled inwardly as he realized how much he sounded like Amelia. But it didn't matter. They could not fail.

**"Pitiful human. I both am and am not a Mazoku. I was made to be a Mazoku, but I have transcended the limitations of thy companion's brethren."**

"Mazoku," Sirus continued, ignoring Drrael's response, "Mazoku torture, hurt and inflict pain upon their chosen victims so that they may live on and feed. But the victims of such tragedies have the opportunity to move on with their lives and rebuild what was torn down before them." He was surprised that Drrael did not just cut him down where he stood. By now Sirus was glowing rather brightly from the energy he had gathered and was continuing to gather. In the back of his mind, he wondered where the others were. "But even as the victims of mine companion's cohorts make anew the life they almost lost, _thou_ steal it once more form them. Thou devour their most precious possessions, their souls, and use it for thine own purposes. How canst thou do such a thing?"

**"The answer, human child, is simple. I am and yet I am not a Mazoku. Thus the normal rules thou applyest to normal Mazoku do not apply to me."**

Sirus charged forward, screaming. Drrael was infuriating in his calm utterance of the fact that he killed for no reason. It was indignatious and horrific. Sirus could not allow such a being to exist any longer, lest he would go mad from the hate he felt for the abomination before him. He ignored the blood that kept coming up into his throat and continued to charge toward Drrael.

**"Thinkest thou that such a small spell can do harm unto me? Thou art foolish in throwing away thine life."**

Sirus pushed forward. All he had to do was touch Drrael with this spell and it would be enough to destroy him. At least, that was what Sirus hoped. He could hear Amelia calling out his name in the distance. Sirus finally reached the beast's large toe that had dwarfed Fillia. He touched Drrael's scaly hide.

"Jin Chi Gi Shin Rei Ha!" The spell exploded, throwing Sirus back. He hit the ground hard but rolled with it, trying to slow himself down. He felt bones snap and crunch beneath him. There was a deafening screech from Drrael's general direction.

Sirus was aware of smoke, pain, and darkness. _I'm still alive? After_ that _spell?_ He was amazed. However, the pain shot through him again as he realized the full extent of his injuries. Amelia was by his side, casting a Recovery spell on him. Opening his eyes, he saw her blue ones filled with tears.

"Sirus," she whispered. "Don't you ever do that to me again."

"Never again, Highness," he said. Sitting up he pushed her aside, casting his own Recovery spell which was faster. Together, they looked over to the pillar of smoke where Drrael stood. The light spells were starting to falter, but everyone recast them, tossing them once again into their bleak surroundings. Zelgadiss cast a small wind spell, blowing the smoke away. To everyone's surprise, Drrael still stood, though he didn't look very well. He stood there, motionless.

**"Congratulations, human. Thou hast learned of the ancient white magic that died with its creator's eons ago. I applaud thou even more, for despite the risks to thou and thine companions, thou hast cast the spell and lived. Misfortunately, and to thine own fault and sorrow, thou shalt now die."**

Amelia dove in front of Sirus. "No! Vile creature, you will not have this man!"

**"But thou art in ere. Even now, I am taking his soul away from him. He made a grave decision when he decided to heal the wounds I hath inflicted upon him. In white magic, the Recovery, no matter which version is used, draws upon the soul of the caster or the victim. Thou, foolish white magic child, have delivered unto me thine most precious possession, as thou hast called it. Thou hast given me thine soul."**

Sirus' eyes widened as he realized what was happening. The corners of his vision darkened. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have let this happen?

**"And know this, before I take thee into the void where I will feed upon thee, the spell thou risked everything upon may have harmed mine physical body, but thou hast failed in harming me."** Before his fading vision, Sirus watched Drrael repair all the damage in the blink of an eye. His vision turned black. The last thing he heard was Amelia's sobbing.

* * *

Xellos gently put Fillia's head down. He had watched Fillia and Sirus die, and he would not allow this to continue. "I'm sorry, Fillia," he whispered to her stiffening form. Reaching up her skirt, Xellos felt around until he got what he wanted. Pulling it out, he ignored its weight, balancing it on his shoulder. With his free hand, he slammed his staff to the ground, teleporting onto Drrael's body. He lifted it into the air, bring it down onto Drrael as hard as he could. Fillia's mace bounced off like nothing had happened. Xellos ignored the lack of success and teleported somewhere else. He didn't care if Drrael could heal himself. This was personal.

Reappearing around Drrael's face, he shoved the mace into Drrael's large eye, forcing it shut. He teleported again, and again and again, continually slamming Fillia's mace, though it did no good.

**"Annoying gnat! Thou art like a child who does not understand a superior who is before him! Thine soul shall be added to mine stomach, and there shalt thou become aware of slow and excruciating pain for this annoyance!"**

In one smooth motion, Drrael predicted where Xellos would next appear. He didn't stand a chance. Drrael shoved a massive hand to Xellos, who was not as fast as a Mazoku anymore. Xellos felt several things break as he flew out over the barren wasteland. The pull of his soul was hard to understand. After all, he was a Mazoku. Why should he have a soul? He certainly didn't deserve one.

Xellos was faintly aware of the impact.

* * *

Amelia's tears fell unhindered down her face. Half of their force was now down to just four. Lina-san had been unable to cast the Laugna Blade when Sirus was gathering so much energy, and now, like Gourry-san and Zelgadiss-san, and herself, Lina-san was frozen in horror. However, from Gourry-san, their came a war cry unlike any other as he rushed forward, Sword of Light blazing in his hands. Zelgadiss-san made a move to join him, but Lina-san stopped him.

"Alright you two," Lina-san said. "Listen up." With both of their attention to her, Lina-san placed a finger on each of their foreheads. Amelia felt a small fountain of knowledge enter into her mind. The knowledge of how to cast a Dragu Slave.

"Lina-san?" she asked. "What did you do?"

"That was a spell my sister taught me. You both have the knowledge on how to do a Dragu Slave, but only once. After you cast the spell, you won't be able to cast it again without learning how." Her face was stern. "Let's see what a triple Dragu Slave can do to him before Gourry gets himself killed." All three started to cast the spell in perfect harmony, releasing it at the same exact moment. Gourry paused in his frontal assault and watched all three hit Drrael. When the smoke cleared, Drrael remained unharmed. Amelia cursed him.

Casting a Levitation spell, Amelia flew up over to Drrael, staying low. "RA TILT!" she shouted, blasting Drrael with everything he had. She fell to the ground, which thankfully wasn't that far away. Looking up however, she saw that all her energy did nothing.

_Sirus, it looks like I'm about to join you,_ she thought sadly, already feeling her soul being pulled away.

* * *

"Amelia!" Zelgadiss shouted. He cast a Ray Wing bubble around her, beckoning it to come to him. When the bubble burst, he examined her. But it was too late. "Noooo!" he cried out, slamming his fists to the ground. He had so few friends. Only one love, but very few friends that accepted him for who he was. Even though Amelia had wanted him to be more than friends, she was still precious to him. To precious to loose like this. This pointless and senseless killing.

Growing up, he knew nothing of friendship because he was so weak. It was his weakness that forced him to be alone on the streets and landed him in jail. It was his weakness that made him perform body duty. It was his weakness that had given him into Rezo's hands. Rezo and Shabranigdo's hands. It was that same weakness that turned him into a monster.

Yet a small number of people trusted him. It didn't matter to them what he looked like, they trusted him. Despite how poorly he treated them, insulted them, ignored them, left them alone to go cure-hunting, they still trusted him. They still wanted to be his friends. But his weakness had reared it's ugly head again as, one by one, he watched them die. Amelia had been like a little sister for him, though she saw that affection as something else. He would be damned if he was going to let any more of his precious but few friends be killed, just for the sake of killing.

Zelgadiss stood up, banishing the tears that slid down his face. Lina was by his side, trying to talk to him, but he didn't hear her.

"No more," he whispered. "No more!" he shouted. "Do you hear me Drrael? Friends in this world are too precious and I will _not_ let you take any more!" He ran forward, drawing his sword. "Phase X!" He ignored the pain as he shifted phases. He ignored Program Rezo, who tried to calm him down.

_I'm sorry, Program Rezo,_ he replied _No more friends can be sacrificed. You said so yourself. I was designed to fight Shabrinigdo, so I can fight Drrael._

>No, you idiot! He's far more powerful than Shabranigdo! Not only that, the only way you would be any match for Shabrinigdo would be if you were in Phase M or higher! But if you go into that phase now, in your current state, Drrael will be able to control you like a puppet!

Then this phase will have to do, Zel responded grimly. By now he was flying up by Drrael's face, slashing away as much as he could. The animalistic instincts of this phase started taking over as his attacks became, if possible, even more savage.

**"Foolish hybrid,"** Drrael's voice boomed. **"Dost thou truly believe that thou art mine match? Thou shalt perish as they 'precious' allies have before thee."** With the flick of a finger, Zelgadiss was sent tumbling back, reverting to his original chimera form. He twisted and turned in the air, trying to regain his balance so he could cast a spell properly. His eyes widened in terror as he saw that he was heading directly for Gourry. He tried desperately to change the angle of his fall, but to no avail. He landed right on top of Gourry's sword arm, breaking it as the were hurled backward. Unfortunately, it was Gourry's sword arm, so the Sword of Light impaled itself through Zelgadiss' chest, filling his lungs with blood. His eyes went blank, his soul going right through the whole in his chest.

* * *

Gourry's arm hung limply by his side after he pulled it out from under Zelgadiss' heavy but lifeless body. The anger and pain in his heart reached new heights as yet another friend died. Drrael was taking to many of the people he cared for. The emotions he felt were beyond any of the words that existed. He picked up his sword with his good hand, ignoring his body as it screamed at him to stop this hopeless endeavor. There were only two people left now. Lina, for some reason, was unable to move, which left everything upon his broad shoulders.

Gourry wanted to tell Lina to get ready to blast Drrael, but he found that he was beyond words. From somewhere deep in his throat, there arose yet another war cry that could pound down mountains. With his sword flickering in his hand, he advanced as best he could. His ribs protested loudly, saying that they were broken, along with several bones in one of his feet, but he pressed on. Drrael had slaughtered them all for no good reason. He had taken Sylphiel away from him. He had taken his traveling companions from him. He had had the gall to try and use his own brother against him. Gourry wouldn't take it any more.

Drrael scoffed and flicked a finger, like he had done with Zelgadiss. Gourry was sent backward, rolling around. From somewhere next to his heart, he felt a tug. His vision faded as his soul was pulled out.

* * *

Lina stood frozen. She didn't understand why she couldn't move. She had tried several times, but something stopped her every time. She tried to move again as Gourry fell, not getting up. This time, it proved that she could, but it was too late. She stood in a barren wasteland surrounded by the bodies of her friends and the body of her one soul mate by her feet. She started to fall into despair. All of her friends had thrown everything at Drreal, yet he still stood there like nothing had happened to him. How could she do any good if her friends couldn't?

**"And what of thee, human? What canst thou do against me? Or perhaps thou wish to discuss this matter anon? It matters not to me, but thou must choose soon lest I destroy thee now."**

Lina mentally ran through all the spells she knew. The only two that might be of any use would be the Giga Slave and the Laugna Blade. The Giga Slave was out of the question, but Lina wasn't sure if she had the strength left to cast a Laugna Blade. When she had tried to cast it before when Sirus (poor Sirus) was gathering energy, the spell almost broke in her hands, forcing her to stop. Lina was worried she might not have the time needed. Drrael would almost have to know that she was casting a Nightmare level spell and try to stop her before she could finish. She didn't have any choices left. But could she do it?

_Go forth with love and justice in your heart, Lina-san!_

"Amelia?" Lina whispered.

_Listen to Amelia-chan, Lina._

"Sirus!"

_We're all here,_ Xellos said.

_The Laugna Blade can do it, if we hold Drrael._

"Fillia? What are you talking about?"

_It's simple Lina. Amelia and Sirus have been preaching to all the souls in here with us._

"Gourry? Don't you ever make sense!"

_Lina-san, we've convinced everyone to fight Drrael rather than be eaten. We can hold him off long enough for you to cast the Laugna Blade, so go for it!_

Amelia-chan is right. She's also quite the stirring speaker.

"Are you all nuts! If you haven't been eaten yet, then when I hit Drrael, you'll all be killed!"

_Trust us, Lina-chan._

"Zel?" Lina's voice suddenly got very quiet. "Is that you?"

_Hai. Though we don't know the exact consequences, we do know we won't die if you destroy Drrael. It will be alright, Lina-chan. You get to save the world again. This time, though, I'll treat you to a feast._

"You better be right Zel," Lina said loudly. "Alright!" She pushed up imaginary sleeves. "Drrael, I think it's time you get put to rest, real permanent like so that humanity can sleep peacefully without worrying about you!" She started to cast her spell.

**"What! A human with the power of a Mother Golden Eye spell? Such an abomination can not be allowed!** Drrael moved to strike her down, but suddenly stopped. **"Treason! Thou art mine to command and feast upon! How canst thou defy me!**

"LAUGNA BLADE!" Lina held the blade of darkness in her hand, rushing forward. Drrael was frozen, but it wouldn't last long. In one fluid motion, she slashed it right down the middle of Drrael. It seemed cliché, she knew, but somehow, she didn't think Drrael deserved a creative end. Cliché suited him just fine.

Lina released the sword as soon as she was done dividing Drrael She collapsed, feeling very tired, but looked defiantly up to Drrael. Some sort of ooze was coming out from where she had sliced him and what passed for a face looked surprised

**"A curse upon thee! Cursèd child of Mother Golden Eye, thou shan't remember this victory! Thou shall grow to regret this act of hate upon me! Thou wilt pay!"** His words were hallow sounding, however, as he burst into some sort of blue flame. Lina flew back to Gourry and Zel, who lay side by side. She gently pushed some hair from Zel's face. He did not move.

_Looks like you were wrong Zel. You're not back._ A small tear slid down her cheek, but she refused to let the rest come. Zel wouldn't want that.

"Lina-san!" Lina looked up to see Amelia getting up from where she lay. _What?_

"You did it! Arigatoo Lina-san!" Amelia called. There was a ragged gasp bellow her. Looking down, she saw Zel's chest trying desperately to move, but the whole caused some serious problems.

"Amelia!" she ordered. "Get Sirus! Zel's dying all over again!" Panic crossed Amelia's face as she flew of to where Sirus was slowly stirring. Lina started a Recovery spell, trying to stop Zelgadiss from loosing any more blood.

"Gourry-sama!"

_Gourry-sama? Her..she's.._ Lina turned around to see Sylphiel running toward them, tears flowing down her eyes.

"Gourry-sama!" No sooner did she reach them did she start casting a healing spell…on Gourry.

"Sylphiel!" Lina shouted. "Gourry will be fine! He was just knocked unconscious, Zel needs your help now!" Sylphiel looked up to her with two large tears forming in her eyes.

"But, Gourry-sama…"

"I'll handle Gourry," Lina shouted in exasperation. "You heal Zel!" Sylpheil shook her head, focusing on Gourry again before she collapsed from exhaustion. Sirus finally landed by them, immediately starting on Zelgadiss.

Lina stood up and looked around. Lots of people were appearing all over the place. Lina wagered a guess that they were the people that Drrael had fed upon since his reawakening. The large barren wasteland was getting rather crowded, covering the light spells Lina and the others had used. But sorcerers who had fallen victim to Drrael recast several more and set them in the air. Lina's legs started to wobble underneath her. She had put everything she had into that Laugna Blade and the emotion hell of watching all her friends die was starting to take their toll. She was exhausted.

"Prepare for the vengeance of Zelmelgustar!"

"Gourry! Stand and die!"

Lina slowly turned, praying it wasn't who she thought it was. Behind her stood Martina and Zangulas. Zangulas had on his usual clothing, but Martina was in a beautiful dress with a small bundle in her hand.

"Martina? Zangulas?" Zangulas went over to Gourry, nudging him with his sword. When Gourry did not awaken, he took a closer look.

"Oh Gods," he whispered.

"Lina? What's going on here?" Martina asked. Lina turned to answer/yell at her when her world went black.  


Go to Part Twelve-Geez, Where's L-sama When You Need Her?


	13. Geez, Whre's Lsama when you need her?

**Part Twelve Geez, Where's L-sama When You Need Her?**

* * *

Lina looked around but discovered she was in complete darkness. She put her hand in front of her face and was slightly relieved to find that something was there. But then, why couldn't she see anything else? Where was Gourry and everyone?

"Lina-chan?"

Lina gasped, turning around. "Zelgadiss?" There he was, looking handsome and healed. "Where are we?" she demanded.

">You are somewhere between life and death.

"Program Rezo?"

">Yes. Zelgadiss is here obviously because of his injuries. But you, Lina, used up all of you life energy when you cast the Laugna Blade. Neither of you are dead, but your bodies aren't exactly alive either.

"Great," Zel muttered. "So what's going on right now?"

">Sirus is healing you, Zelgadiss, while Amelia is trying to help Lina.I think I'll leave you two alone for now. Have fun.

Lina ignored Program Rezo and ran toward Zel, hugging him. They stayed like that for a while, letting the peace they both felt envelope them. Much to Lina's disappointment, however, Zelgadiss suddenly pulled away.

"Gomen, Lina," he said. "But I feel a gentle pull. I think I'm going back to my body, and I'd rather have you in your own body rather than mine." Lina felt her cheeks turn crimson, but gave him one more kiss. He disappeared soon after.

"Okay," Lina said out loud. "Now what am I supposed to do." There was no answer other than a gentle pull from somewhere. Lina guessed that it was the same pull that Zel had mentioned. Sure enough, she felt herself somewhere else. Opening her eyes, she saw Amelia looking very tired.

Lina sat up, looking over to Zel, who was still unconscious, but lacking a whole in his chest. Sirus looked a little pale himself.

"Lina," he asked. "You and Zelgadiss love each other, right?" Lina blushed slightly. "I shall take that as a yes. Listen, I can not keep healing him and then heal everyone else. Fillia is bound to need a little help, and I do not even want to guess about Xellos. I am going to cast a different kind of Recovery on you two, but in order for it to work, you two must love each other."

"Well," Lina replied. "You can give it a try."

"Alright. The spell is called Recovery Amour. It basically takes the love two people have for each other and uses it to heal them. This spell has one side effect, which is to make a love's bond even stronger. In other words, you shall love each other even more." Sirus intertwined her hands with Zel's. "You must hold onto each other like this until the spell is finished, lest you will get some sort of back lash, and I doubt you want that."

"Indeed," Lina said.

"Alright then," Sirus said, closing his eyes in concentration. "Recovery Amour," he whispered. Lina could almost feel some sort of warmth stretch between both herself and Zelgadiss. Zel slowly opened his eyes, sitting up, but the spell continued. From somewhere deep inside her, Lina felt that peaceful part of her come up and extend to Zelgadiss, who readily accepted it. The peace continued and strengthened. Finally, the spell broke, but Lina and Zel didn't notice. When Sirus said that their feelings would grow stronger, he wasn't kidding. Lina and Zel no longer hid their feelings, ignoring whatever stares where headed their way.

"LINA!" Martina shouted.

"Yes?" Lina answered sweetly, turning to her.

"What the hell is going on here! Where are we? The last thing I remember is a monster coming and killing Margulas in front of me!"

"Margulas?" Lina choked.

"Yes," Martina said, stars appearing in her eyes. She looked lovingly at the small bundle in her arms. "Margulas is my son. He will be a great king won day, as the wise and monstrous Zelmelgustar foretold to me."

"Margulas?" Zel repeated, standing up.

"Yes!" Martina replied irritably. "As a son of a union blessed by Zelmelgustar, he must have a name that combines both of the parents together in respect!"

"Actually," Xellos said, teleporting in and looking very well. "That's the child's name because the authors of this fic couldn't think of a good one." Several sweatdrops appeared. "Congratulations Lina," Xellos continued. "I seem to have my Mazoku abilities back." He frowned. "But the lessons I learned as a human, the emotions that battered at me, forcing me to look at life differently, are still with me. I think, that perhaps, that is for the better."

"Thank goodness," Fillia said, landing by his side. "And by the way, Namagomi," she said. "Next time you decide to heal me, don't run away when you're done!" She pounded him with her mace. Lina sighed. Things were going back to normal. Gourry sat up, looking dizzy and confused. Sirus went over to him, explaining the Recovery Amour, and then casting it between Gourry and Sylphiel. In no time, both were up and hugging.

"I though I'd lost you," Gourry whispered into Sylphiel's hair.

"Gourry-sama…" Lina smiled as Zangulas went over to challenge Gourry. All around them, the crowd of people grew and reunited with loved ones as they appeared. Suddenly, Lina felt that something was very wrong. There was some sort of haziness in her perception of things, like something was overlaying her view. She pushed the feeling aside. Something else was bugging her as well.

Lina turned to the crater where Drrael had once stood.

**"Thou hast beaten me, but thou shalt not enjoy this victory long!"** Lina swallowed. He couldn't have survived a Nightmare level spell, could he? Flying up from the crater came a human sized Drrael, bloody and bruised.

**"I congratulate thee, child of Mother Golden Eye,"** Drrael roared. The crowd started to panic, trying to run away. Unfortunately, Drrael's barrier was still in place. **"Thou hast done more harm unto me than I have ever experienced. Thou shalt pay a dear price for this outrage."** Lina turned to the crowd. Sirus let loose some sort of spell, calming them.

"Sirus, Sylphiel, Martina," Lina ordered. "You guys protect these people!"

"What?"

"Sirus, Sylphiel, there is no spell that can make a shield for so many people and be effective. Just stop a blast that heads this way. Martina, you'd better start praying to Zelmelgustar."

"Okay."

"Gourry, Zelgadiss, Zangulas, you guys are on sword duty! Be careful. He may be able to alter his shape."

"Light!"

"Astral Vine!"

"Feel the wrath of the Howling Sword!"

"Xellos, Fillia, try to distract him a little." Fillia went dragon and flew off with Xellos.

"Amelia, you're with me and we're on spell duty."

"You got it Lina-san!" Lina was slightly taken aback by the fact that she even knew what to do. Normally, she'd just attack a problem head on, but where did this plan come from? The haziness on her perception continued to grow as she fought it back and tried to cast a spell at the same time.

Fillia dove in, firing her lethal breath directly at Drrael. Drrael teleported away easily, blasting a fire-like ball at Fillia. It hit her and she went backwards. Xellos shot dozens of black cones at Drrael before teleporting back to check on Fillia. The three swordsman started hacking at Drrael, who evaded every stroke and countered the spells that Lina and Amelia threw from above. Sure enough, the deflection of spells went toward the crowd of people, which Sirus and Sylphiel did a fine job of blocking. Lina was even surprised to see a few shields appear in front of her.

Lina was surprised at how well everyone fought together as a team. For a group that all claimed to be loners at one point or another, they worked well together.

The haziness suddenly hit Lina very strongly, actually causing pain. She screamed out, clutching her head where everything was focused. Her concentration shattered and she fell to the ground. There was suddenly a pillar of smoke around her.

* * *

She emerged as she usually did, golden and shining. Her heart was filled with unrest. She usually did not like to be so forceful with a favored child, but in this situation she had no choice. Her child refused to cast the spell that would bring her forward, so she had to gently force her conscious into her child's body. She didn't know what sort of implications there would be, but there was no alternative.

**"Ah, Mother Golden Eye,"** Drrael said. **"And to what do I owe this visitation? Thou doth not look with favor upon me."**

"Xellos, come here," she said quietly. Her tone, however, said she would not tolerate refusal.

"Yes," he said, appearing by her side, kneeling. "You seem different, L-sama," he said. "Why the different attitude?"

"Different children different methods," she replied, smiling warmly at him. He, at least, was faithful. "Xellos, my son, who was it recently that I visited in this form?"

"Hellmaster Fibrizo."

"Arigatoo. That will do. You may go back to your mate." Xellos blushed and teleported back to the Golden Priestess. Those two were a good match. The chaos they would make from their union would do very nicely.

**"Well, Mother Golden Eye? What wilst thou do unto me?"**

She ignored everyone who was staring at her. Everyone who had been fighting Drrael before had stopped, backing away and kneeling in respect. Oh how she liked that! They were all so polite! Just like good children should be, though she was disappointed that the White Magic Expert had taken so long to join her Chaos group.

"You," she said, avoiding the ancient speak, "are a pain! Do you have any idea how hard it was to rebuild the Ryuzuku and Shinzuku after you stole what I meant for the Mazoku?"

**"What is that to me, Mother Golden Eye? I willed myself into existence, such that I could do what I deemed my purpose. Do I displease thee, Mother Golden Eye? Thou hast made me, wilst thou unmake me?"**

"Oh dear," she said quietly. He just had to be stubborn about this. "I thrive on Chaos. This so called purpose of yours is nothing more than ordered killing. You have no counterpart to fight and make Chaos with. If anything, you destroy Chaos by eating those who best make Chaos."

**"If I displease thee so much, Mother Golden Eye, why hast thou not sought to deal with mine personage before?"**

"I am very busy making worlds, you realize. I had already spent to much time on this one when I was getting ideas on a different world to do. I left my children, Cepheid and Shabranigdo to deal with you, but they couldn't cooperate very well. But these human children are trying to deal with you, but I already have plans for them without you killing them." Drrael spit at her, acting intolerably like a toddler. "That does it, Drrael-kun. Thou hast sought death with all of thine power, therefore, I shall give unto thee that which thou seek. Know, however, that I have done similarly to Hellmaster, and he did not like the gift I hath given unto him. Now, Drrael, receive thine gift."

She held up her hands, though nothing visible immersed from them. Drrael, however, _definitely_ felt what was released from her hands. His hideous and broken form started to shine golden and small humps appeared. It couldn't really be called an explosion, at least not by human standards, but she did only what was fitting, especially considering the emotional hell her favored one had gone through watching all her friends die. When it was done, nothing was left of Drrael. She did feel bad for not getting to this sooner, but pushed the feeling down. She turned to the large crowd that stared at her unbelieving.

"Children," she said. "You should all be home causing Chaos for me." She snapped her fingers, teleporting all of them back to their homes, leaving only her Chaos group behind.

"What about Lina?" the Chimera asked quietly. The others nodded their heads in agreement

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I had to force my way into her body. I don't know the side effects, but I do know that the longer I stay within her body, the harder it may be for her recovery. Know that no spells you know of can heal any damage I have unintentionally done. You must try something else." She left, letting her favored's body fall as she returned o the Sea of Chaos.

* * *

Zelgadiss hugged Lina's limp form, rocking back and forth. When she had initially collapsed, signaling that L-sama had left, everyone waited for her to get up. She didn't. Zelgadiss refused to cry, but instead held her close, willing for her to come back to her body. Sirus had examined her a few minutes earlier and was talking to everyone else.

"It is very strange," he said. "Lina's body is perfectly fine. There is no mark on her, almost as if she had never fought Drrael."

"But why won't she wake up?" Martina demanded. Zangulas held her close.

"I am not sure, your Majesty," Sirus replied, ever formal. "It appears that her soul is gone, but not in the same way that we all lost our souls to Drrael. It is very hard to explain," Sirus continued, groping for words that would explain it. "It is….Well…There is a small piece of her there, but the bulk of her soul has disappeared and I have no idea where. I am not well versed in the astral plane, so I could not even guess as to where to start looking."

"But Sirus," Amelia sobbed. "Isn't there _anything_ we can do?" She fell into his arms sobbing. "We can't just loose Lina-san! We have to do something!"

"Xellos," Fillia asked. "You're an astral being. Can you go looking for Lina?" Everyone's eyes, Zel's included, turned to Xellos.

"No," he whispered, eyes downcast. "I don't think I can. If I were to go onto the astral plane and guide her…I don't even want to think of the of the consequences of a Mazoku making contact with a human on that plane. I could do more harm to Lina than good."

"Then what about me?" Amelia asked. "I can go onto the astral plane."

"How much experience do you have?" Xellos asked.

"I've been there once or twice."

"To dangerous," Fillia replied. "We might loose you too." Zelgadiss started to tune out the conversation. How? How could they help Lina? Even if Zelgadiss went onto the astral plane, he wouldn't know where to start looking. Wandering around aimlessly on the astral plane was dangerous; there were too many Mazoku and spirits running around and an interaction with any one of them could be fatal to the astral body. He would need a guide to help him go through all that traffic on the astral plane, but he didn't know any spirits on that side who were all that friendly to him.

_Wait a minute. Spirits?_

"REZO!" Zelgadiss shouted at the top of his lungs. Everyone whirled around, staring at him, but Zel didn't notice. "REZO, I FORGIVE YOU FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO ME! HELP ME FIND LINA!

_Program Rezo!_

>Yes? How can I help?

You said you wanted an hour in my body. Well here's your chance have fun. Zel started preparations to go onto the astral plane. He lay Lina on her own cloak. After doing so, he ripped off his hood, using putting it under Lina's head like a pillow. Then he pulled off his cape, using it like a blanket on her. During any astral visit, you had to make sure your were comfortable, and Zel did everything he did to make sure Lina was. After all, his body was stone and he didn't have to worry about feeling anything.

_>Are you listening to me? If you go, you might not come back!_

I don't care.

>But I can't loose you! You are my very reason for existence I'll die without you!

You're concern is touching, but misplaced. I'll die without Lina, making you die as well.

>But you are like my own descendant.

I appreciate that, but I have work to do. Zelgadiss lay down beside Lina, forcing his body to relax as his mind started to clear of all thought. It didn't take long. He had made the journey several times before and knew all the tricks.

Once on the astral plane, Zelgadiss took great care to mark off where his body was. However, when he looked around, some of the souls around him were strangely altered. Gourry had Sylphiel's green eyes and his bangs seemed a little neater. Sylphiel, meanwhile had Gourry's blue eyes and armor. Her bangs were a little more messy, like Gourry's normally were. It was very strange. Normally, the astral body looked like the physical body. He had seen Sylphiel and Gourry several times from the astral plane, but they never looked like this.

"It's because of the Recovery Amour." Zelgadiss whirled around and saw Rezo. Though he tried to stop it, his astral form tensed.

"I don't understand, Grandfather," Zel said. Considering all the time he had spent talking with Program Rezo, he had a greater understanding of his ancestor, and respect. Lina was right when she said it was Shabranigdo who had made him, not Rezo. Rezo was nothing more than a puppet.

"I'm glad you realized that, Zelgadiss," Rezo said.

"Eh?"

"Remember, this is the astral plane and thoughts can only be hidden with concentration. You are very distraught right now, with good reason, so I know what you are thinking." Rezo turned to Sylphiel and Gourry. "Apparently, by using love as the power for a Recovery spell, like in the Recovery Amour spell Sirus used, little bits of their souls are intermingled. I almost wish I was alive so I could discuss things with him. Maybe I would have been able to cure my eyes without releasing Shabranigdo if I had that book of his." Rezo looked sad for a moment. "But that's in the past. Thank you for your forgiveness. It's more than I deserve."

"But you did everything you could to help me. I shouldn't have blamed you. I should have known that you weren't the one who did this to me."

"Speaking of your chimeric form, why do you hate it so? It doesn't look so bad to me."

"What?" Zelgadiss summoned up a reflective surface and stared at himself. The black stones that had covered his pale skin were gone. His hair was much longer, held back by a black headband. His clothes were different; there were two demons blood talismans on him. But the thing that most struck him was his eyes. His dark, midnight blue eyes that saw the world with cynicism and hope all at the same time, were no longer blue. They were red. The exact same shade as Lina's.

"The..The spell," Zel stammered. "The Recovery Amour, did this to me and Lina as well?"

"It would appear so."

Zel found that his astral form was no more the abomination that his physical form was. Rezo was right. He didn't look half bad. But his eyes…Lina's coloring in his eyes.

"Lina!"

"Yes, Zelgadiss," Rezo replied. "I found her when you called to me. She actually wasn't all that far from me when you cried out."

"Then what are we waiting for!" Zel demanded. "Let's go! The longer she's away from her body like this, the harder it will be for her to get back!"

"Zelgadiss, we must go about this carefully." Zel glared at him, ancient hatred building up again. "Stop that right now!" Rezo commanded. "You said you forgave me, now start acting like it. Lina is in a very dangerous position right now. She has no idea where she is or how she got there. She is confused and alone. If you go to her, with your altered spirit right now, she'll start to panic and run from you. You of all people should know that panic on the astral plane is the most dangerous emotion. Almost as dangerous as anger."

Zel stifled a retort, trying to get control over his emotions. Being on the astral plane made it difficult, however, because the astral plan amplified emotions in spirits. Zelgadiss let Rezo take his hand and start to guide him through the turbulent astral plane. Zel swallowed his anger, placing his trust in an old enemy, who was never really and enemy at all. Once in control again, he studied the astral plane. It was different. Though it was normally chaotic, something looked like it took the astral plane and turned it inside out.

"Re..Grandfather," Zelgadiss said, pushing back old emotions and replacing them with new ones. "Grandfather, what happened here? The astral plane was nothing like this when I came here last."

"You can thank Drrael for this," Rezo said coldly. "That beast of a Mazoku not only stole souls from the physical plane, but from here as well. That's why he was able to destroy the remaining Mazoku lords. To make things worse, his astral form was overpowering. It was impossible to get close to him at all. Everywhere he went in the astral plane, devouring Mazoku, he left this in his wake. Of course, this altered the rest of the astral plane as well. Remind me to thank Lina for destroying that bastard."

Zelgadiss nodded in understanding. Rezo continued to take them farther and farther from his physical body. Rezo suddenly shot downward, pulling Zel with him, to what appeared to be a hole in what passed for ground in the astral plane. They dove deeper and deeper until they were in a small cavern.

"Now remember," Rezo said quietly. "Don't go rushing in. Talk to her first."

"Yes, Grandfather," Zel whispered back. Peeking up over the rocks, he saw Lina curled into a ball in the corner, barely visible in the shadows.

"Lina-chan," he said, loud enough to be heard. "Lina, are you there?"

"Zel?" Lina said in a small voice. "Where are you? Where am I? What happened? Why am I so scared?"

"Lina-chan, I'm here for you. You're safe."

"I don't feel safe," Lina replied. "I feel cold. Alone. Terrified. Dark. Small. Insignificant. Helpless. Confused."

"Don't go there, Lina-chan," Zel assured her. "You are anything but insignificant. You happen to be very significant to me."

"Where are you Zel?"

"Lina-chan, I need to explain a few things first."

"Just come here."

"If I do, I'll frighten you."

"You could never do that."

"Lina-chan, please listen to me." Zel tried very hard to keep his voice calm and to shield his thoughts He had to do this very carefully. Apparently when L-sama took over, Lina's soul had, in several ways, reverted to a child like state. All that talk of helplessness clinched it. He was going to have to tread very carefully, or else her fragile state would shatter. "Lina-chan," he continued. "We're both on the astral plane. Do you understand?"

"Yeah. But how did I get here? Why would you frighten me?"

"Do you remember when Sirus cast that Recovery Amour on us?"

"Yeah. What's that got to do with this?"

"The Recovery Amour has a side effect that Sirus couldn't have known about." Zel almost jumped for joy as the small cave they were in got lighter. That meant that Lina was starting to put her pieces back together. "When Sirus cast that spell on us, our souls intermingled for a brief instant, exchanging things."

"Like that peace?"

"Yes, Lina-chan. That was only part of it, though. Our astral forms have altered. I no longer look like the chimera you know. I have parts of you with me, the same way you have parts of me with you."

"Whatever, now come here. Hold me. I'm still scared."

"Do you understand that I will look different to you?"

"Yes."

Zelgadiss glanced at Rezo. This was going to be the most dangerous point. Rezo gave a brief nod and Zel stepped out from behind the rocks. Lina was still huddled in the shadows and didn't appear to move. "Lina-chan?" Zel went over to her, sitting down beside her. She looked over to him, and despite the dim light, Zel could see his dark midnight blue eyes staring back at him. "Are you alright?"

"Zel?"

"Yes, it's me." Lina collapsed into his arms.

"Why am I so scared? What happened?" Zelgadiss held her close and told her everything he knew. From leaving that place between life and death, to Drrael coming out of his crater, though much smaller, to the Golden Eye Lord coming forth, scolding Drrael, finishing with his reconciliation with Rezo in order to find her. The whole time he spent explaining what happened, the cave got progressively lighter and bigger. By the time he finished, they were in what was more like a cozy living room, complete with a fire and soft sofa were they sat.

"Why do I still feel different?" Lina asked, sounding much better, but still not quite to her old self.

"I'm not all that sure. Try calling forth that all consuming peace of yours. Maybe that will help." And suddenly, he felt it. That peace was all around him and spreading. Lina shined quietly in his arms, coming up to kiss him gently. The peace swirled around them, like it always did, but this time it was different. It started to penetrate Zelgadiss' astral form, soaking through him. When it finally reached his heart, he knew. Lina had said that she had understood what peace really was. Now he did as well.

Peace was not quiet and gentle, though it certainly felt like it at that particular moment. Peace was letting chaos do as it wished, which lead to not fighting or confrontation, but letting every element that created chaos find its own small place in the universe. The chaos only came from two elements who got in the other's why while searching for its small corner. But while these elements created chaos searching for their corner, they were at peace in their journey. That is what peace really was. That was why L-sama thrived on chaos. Because it gave her peace.

"Zelgadiss! Lina!" Zel was brought out of his epiphany as Rezo's shouts of concern finally reached his peace filled heart.

"Grandfather?" he whispered.

"Are you two alright!" Lina floated beside Zel while he looked out over the astral plane. The plane was not the turbulent horror it was when Zel first entered it. Instead it was back to normal, though something was still different. Zel realized, however, what was different was not the plane itself, but him. Lina had said that the peace she felt had changed her. He felt changed as well. Nothing earth shattering. But something just enough to be noticed.

"What happened?" Lina asked.

"You started to glow," Rezo replied. "As you did, my descendant over here did as well until I could no longer sense anything. When I finally could start sensing things again, I realized that you, Lina, had repaired all the damage Drrael had did to the astral plane. What did you do?"

"I just reached back to that peace that the Mazu Slave gave me."

"You also gave _me_ that understanding of peace, Lina-chan." Lina looked over to him and smiled.

"Really? Well it's about time! You tend to be a little slow on the uptake!" She playfully punched him in the arm.

"If you two are quite finished, I believe we should hurry back to your bodies before you become permanent residents of the astral plane," Rezo said. Smiling, both Zel and Lina started to follow Rezo to where Zel had marked off their bodies.

As they flew by everything, Zel hoped his marker was still in place. They were about halfway there when Zelgadiss felt a sharp pain rip through his torso. He cried out and crashed.

"Zel!" Zel stumbled up, remembering that the chaos made by conflict made peace.

"I'm okay, but I've been away from my body for too long. I can feel myself separating." He grunted. "We have to move, and quickly."

Lina picked up Zel almost like he didn't weigh anything.

"Lina-chan," he said. "Don't you feel anything? You've been away from your body longer than I have."

"Don't feel a thing!" she replied. "Maybe 'cause I have that peace. But right now, that doesn't matter. Let's move!" They sped along all the faster. The astral plane blurred by them in a flash as they moved. Finally, up ahead, Zel could see the marker he left.

_Program Rezo, can you hear me?_

No, he can't, but I can hear you, Xellos, of all people, replied. _What the hell did you do to the astral plane? How did you make it normal again?_

Thank Lina. But right now, could you please tell Program Rezo it's time for us to return to our bodies?

Of course, responded Xellos. Zelgadiss was surprised that there was no banter. Perhaps Xellos had actually learned from his short time of being human. For some reason, the future seemed a whole lot brighter. They reached the marker and Zelgadiss waited until Xellos said it was alright. He turned to Rezo.

"Domo arigatoo gozimasu, Grandfather," Zel said, hugging Rezo. "I'll keep in touch, next time I'm on the astral plane."

"Thank _you_, Zelgadiss." Rezo pulled away with tears in his eyes. "I don't deserve your forgiveness, but you still found it in your heart to do so. You have no idea how much that means to me."

"My pleasure. Now Lina-chan and I'd better get going."

"Indeed. Good bye and good luck." Rezo faded away, going elsewhere on the astral plane.

"Lina-chan," Zel said, turning to her, "going back to your physical body is difficult. It is usually easier to return in the same position that you left in. You have to focus on putting your astral body _into_ your physical one. That's the part that everyone has trouble with and it is also the most dangerous. Usually, when training someone in walking on the astral plane, you do it in stages before the person is taken out of their body entirely. That didn't exactly happen with you."

"Tell me about it. The next time you see dear, 'Mother Golden Eye' let her know how I felt about this."

"And how do you feel about this?" He could resist asking.

"Madder than hell. Now show me how it's done, pretty boy." Zel blushed briefly, but started the process of going back into his body. He went slowly, making sure Lina saw what he was doing and how it was done. Once he was back in his body, he sat up quickly, leaning over Lina. He prayed that she understood how to get back inside her body.   


Go to the Epilogue-Aw, The Show's Over?


	14. Epilogue: Aw, Show's Over?

**Epilogue Aw, The Show's Over?**

* * *

Sirus watched as Zelgadiss suddenly shot up from where he lay, immediately leaning over Lina.

"Zelgadiss," Sirus said. "Did you find her?"

Zelgadiss did not reply, however, focusing completely on Lina. There was a tense moment as everyone held their breath, awaiting Lina to do _something_. The seconds ticked by, one by one. Still, Lina did not move. A minute came and went and still Lina did not move. Sirus wondered what had happened on the astral plane. He had never been there, so he didn't understand what sort of long term affects their might be if Lina was there for to long. It was not the type of lesson, though, that he wanted to learn the hard way. They waited.

Slowly, Lina's large eyes cracked open, just enough to let everyone let out an explosive breath that they had been holding. Sirus breathed an addition sigh of relief, and made a mental note to consult with Zelgadiss on how to get to the astral plane. He absently put an arm on Amelia's shoulder, holding her tight. Lina's eyes finally opened fully. Zelgadiss smiled and gently stroked her cheek. She replied by kissing him, rather passionately, Sirus noted. Zelgadiss blushed, obviously preferring this to be done in private. But then, where Lina was concerned, everyone had to expect the unexpected.

Sirus was brought out of his thoughts when Amelia pulled away, striding away from the group. Sirus followed her.

"Are you alright, your Highness?"

"Yeah," she sniffed. Glancing back at Lina and Zel, she continued. "I'll be fine. It's still going to hurt for a while, but…" her voice trailed off.

"Amelia-chan," Sirus said, holding her close to him in a friendly embrace. "Do not worry. Someday, someone will come along and not only accept your love, but return it to you ten fold. That will be the one you should marry."

"You're right," she said into his chest. "But it will still hurt for a while."

"Yes, but it will pass. You should believe in that."

* * *

Zangulas stood with Martina and their child, somewhat apart from the crowd, now that Lina was awake. Martina was cuddling their baby and making all sorts of baby talk. Zangulas merely hugged them close to him. He remembered when Drrael had taken them both in front of his very eyes and he silently vowed never to let them go again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gourry standing with the priestess, Sylphiel. Zangulas thought that he should go over there and challenge him again, but somehow, winning didn't seem all that important anymore. What was really important to him was in his arms.

"Martina, dear?" he said, getting his wife's attention.

"Yes, love?" she replied, never taking her eyes off their beautiful child.

"Do you think Zeulmelgustar would mind terribly if the two of us were to drop our search for revenge and just live happily and peacefully with our son?" Martina looked at him in surprise. Normally, when Zangulas referred to Zelmelgustar, he did so in a sarcastic, or molencollying manner. This time he was dead serious. "It's just that, after dying and coming back, revenge doesn't seem all that important to me anymore. What is in your arms right now." Zangulas watched Martina stare at him with those great beautiful blue eyes.

"Zangulas," she said quietly. "Zelmelgustar works in mysterious ways that we, his children, can not always understand. I think you've just spoken for him. Revenge isn't necessary if he's bestowed Margulas with us. Let's just go home."

"Dear, I think you're right."

* * *

Sylphiel and Gourry hugged in silence for a long time. When they finally pulled away, Gourry spoke.

"Sylphiel, I thought I had lost you," he whispered.

"Gourry-sama," she replied. He didn't have to go into words. Sylphiel understood him better than he did sometimes. Though she knew he would get enough of his smarts together to make her happy, all she ultimately wanted was for him to be happy. If he was happy with Lina instead of her, so be it. She didn't mind. Maybe she could be an aunt for their children. Though the fact that Lina had rather actively kissed Zelgadiss, not Gourry, played over and over again in her mind. Could she really have a chance with her beloved?

"Sylphiel, I'm Lina's bodyguard, but." Perhaps not.

"Gourry-sama, it's okay. I understand."

He continued like she hadn't said anything. "I know we can't have a home if she keeps wondering around and stuff, but would you marry me?" Sylphiel cast a healing spell on herself. Her hearing must be faulty. "What do you say? We'll move around a lot, and I'll still have to fight Lina for food, but we'll be together and I can keep my promise that way." Promise? He remembered the promise?

"Gourry-sama…I..I..yes, I'll marry you."

"Wahoo!" Gourry picked her up, tossing her in the air and swinging her around. "Arigatoo Sylphiel!" Sylphiel couldn't help but laugh. She couldn't have been more happy. After all, Gourry was happy.

* * *

Xellos stood next to Fillia watching Gourry and Sylphiel celebrate their engagement. Xellos wondered if such a thing would be possible for him. Would he ever be able to settle down? Would he, now that he was a Mazoku again, be able to share feelings that had been dull for so many centuries? Could he ever make her happy?

"So," Fillia said quietly. "Where do we go from here?"

"Well," Xellos replied, trying to be logical instead of listening to his emotions. "L-sama sort of gave us her blessings, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes, but why?"

"Think about it. A Mazoku and a Ryuzuku. Do you have any idea how much Chaos we will cause with that? The Mazoku will expel me, the Ryuzuku will shun you, and we'll be in blissful chaos."

"Perhaps, but," Fillia hesitated. "I don't think I'm all that ready for an in depth relationship right now. I mean, there's still so much I don't know about myself."

"We could always find out together."

"But some things a girl needs to figure out on her own."

"Then why not start with just a date?"

"A date?"

"Yes. It's a phrase humans use when a male and female, or male/male female/female but that's more rare; go out, normally to dinner, enjoy each other's company and start a relationship on slow, non-in depth grounds."

Fillia nailed him on the head with her mace. "I know what a date is." It felt good to be back to the old ways. He oh-so-loved to annoy her, and he had a suspicion that she liked it as well. "Okay," she answered. "A date. But no 'Sore wa himtsu desu' from you, okay?"

"But why?" Xellos demanded. After all, it was a central point in his personality. And one of the best ways to annoy her.

"Think about it, you dolt," Fillia replied. "How would you feel if someone smiled and told you 'Sore wa himtsu desu'?" Xellos inwardly cringed. His brief time as a human had taught him how he would feel in different situations and based on that, he could guess how he would feel in other circumstances.

"Okay," he conceded. Time for something light-hearted. "But for our first date, I was wondering."

"Oh?"

"Your place or mine?"

Fillia nailed him with her mace again. That _did_ feel good. "Thank you," he said. "But aren't we supposed to wait a while before we start getting rough?" He started to fly.

"NAMAGOMI!" She started to chase him, a smile trying very hard to appear on her face, just as the smile on his face grew.

* * *

Lina continued her rather passionate kiss, ignoring Zel's muffled protests that they were in public. She really didn't care. Everyone around them knew who they were and they didn't seem to mind all that much. It's wasn't like they were in the middle of a town or something. However, all good things must end temporarily once in a while. She finally broke the kiss, more to get her breath than anything else. By now, everyone had sort of separated into pairs. Zel's face was bright red, and she thought it was rather cute.

"So, where exactly do we go from here?" Zel asked quickly before Lina could attack him with her lips again.

"Eh?"

"I don't think I'm ready to settle down yet, and I don't think you are either." Lina sat back, thinking about it. Adventuring was just too much fun. She didn't really want to give that up. Busting and burning bandits badly was one of her duties (along with getting their treasure) and there were still foods out there to sample.

"Well, you're right, I still want to adventure." She paused, thinking some more. "Why don't we just start walking and see what happens?"

"That sounds like typical, unplanned Lina-logic to me," Zel answered, putting on a stern face. "But why not?" he smiled.

"Okay everyone!" Lina shouted, getting everyone's attention. "Let's get you all home!"

* * *

**The End**


End file.
